| “ | John Henry! John Henry! John Henry is a mighty man! Born with a hammer! Born with a hammer! Born with a hammer right in his hand! | „ |
| ~ John Henry's theme song. |
John Henry is the protagonist of the 2000 Disney short film of the same name. He is a brave slave-turned railroad builder who helped finish a railroad and beat a steam drill.
Biography[]
John Henry was born with a hammer and it granted him strength. Because of this, he had to eat more than the normal person.
Sometime in his late childhood-teenage years, John Henry became a slave until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1865 when slavery ended.
At some point, John Henry married a woman who became his wife.
One day, John Henry saw that some railroad builders were getting tired building a railroad. John Henry stepped in, much to the surprise of a contractor. John Henry started a powerful hammering rhythm while finishing a large section of the railroad while everyone sang.
Soon to everyone's horror, a steam drill arrived to build the railroad faster than the workers, who were threatened to lose their jobs as a result. John Henry took off his shirt and bravely stated he would race the drill to get everyone the promised land and finish the railroad.
Everyone sung louder for John Henry as he struggled and beat the machine to a mountain where it started continuing through the tunnel, much to everyone's horror as their shift ended. John Henry continued to hammer his way through the tunnel, beating the drill in the process.
Everyone cheered over John Henry's victory, but John Henry was so exhausted that his heart stopped and he died. He was mourned by his wife and the railway workers.