AP World History Exam Prep

Category - AP World History

The 1968 Summer Olympic Games is often best remembered for which act of political speech?
  1. Luz Long's Nazi salute from the medal stand after losing to African American sprinter Jesse Owens
  2. The boycott of the games that led many nations, including the United States, to not send a team to compete
  3. The murder of 11 Israeli athletes
  4. The fisted salute of Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the medal stand following the 200 meter race
Explanation
Answer: D - Tommie Smith and John Carlos' black power salute from the medal stand following their respective gold and bronze medal finishes in the 200 meter race is the iconic moment for which the 1968 Summer Olympiad in Mexico City is remembered. The International Olympic Committee expressly forbids political acts during the games, but, invariably, many occur. Smith and Carlos were protesting the treatment of African Americans at home, by raising one black-gloved fist during their medal ceremony. Smith and Carlos were banned from the games and many international competitions immediately after the display. Long's Nazi salute took place during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin when Hitler was in power; the multi-nation boycott of the Soviet war in Afghanistan that kept the United States out of the Olympics occurred in 1980 when the event was held in Moscow; and the murder of 11 Israeli athletes occurred in Munich in 1972.
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