Muhammad Ali (January 17, 1942 - June 6, 2016)

Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, Muhammad Ali is consistently ranked as one of the greatest boxers of all time. At the age of 18, Ali traveled to Rome, Italy to participate in the 1960 Olympics. He won the gold medal in light heavyweight boxing and returned to the United States to pursue his professional boxing career shortly thereafter. It was also around this time that Clay became a member of the Nation of Islam, announcing his name as Cassius X, then Muhammad Ali in 1964.

In 1967, Ali had been reigning world heavyweight champion for three years when he publicly refused to be inducted into the American military during the Vietnam War. As a result of his actions, boxing officials decided to punish Ali by stripping him of his titles and suspending him from the game of boxing. During his suspension from 1967-1970, Ali became an activist and toured around the world speaking to civil rights organizations and anti-war groups.

After 1970, Ali regained the title of heavyweight champion after defeating George Foreman in a match known as "The Rumble in the Jungle." He continued fighting until 1981, ending his career with a 56-5 professional record.

Black Power records at the National Archives related to Muhammad Ali consist of the court case (Clay v. United States) relating to his refusal of induction for the Vietnam War draft. There are also records of FBI surveillance of Muhammad Ali in various parts of the country and his time spent with the members of the Nation of Islam. Also, a motion picture, sound recordings and several photographs of Ali at State Dinners and meetings with sitting presidents.

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Social Networks and Archival Context - Muhammad Ali

Selected Photographs from the National Archives

Ali with President Gerald Ford, 1974 View in National Archives Catalog	Ali and President Jimmy Carter, 1980 View in National Archives Catalog	Ali with President Ronald Reagan, 1983 View in National Archives Catalog
Ali receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2005 View in National Archives Catalog	Ali with President Bill Clinton, 2000 View in National Archives Catalog	Ali with Nelson Mandela and Al Gore (detail), 1994 View in National Archives Catalog

Web Highlights

Record Group 21: District Courts of the United States

Criminal Case Files, 1908-1973 [Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas] National Archives Identifier 563137

Record Group 59: Department of State

Country Files, 1942-1948 National Archives Identifier: 2544414

Record Group 60: Department of Justice (DOJ)

Case Files and Enclosures Relating to Cassius Clay, Jr. (Muhammad Ali) National Archives Identifier 22930205

Subject Files of the Assistant Attorney General, 1958-1993 National Archives Identifier 1489028

Record Group 111: Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Motion Picture Films from the Army Library Copy Collection, 1964-1980 National Archives Identifier 25061

Record Group 220: Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards

Newspaper Clippings Name Files, 1978-1979 National Archive Identifier 559563

Record Group 306: US Information Agency (USIA)

Sound Recordings Relating to “Studio One” Broadcasts, 1955-2003 National Archives Identifier 564649

Record Group 412: Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA)

DOCUMERICA: The Environmental Protection Agency’s Program to Photographically Document Subjects of Environmental Concern, 1972-1977 National Archives Identifier 542493

GRF-0059 - White House Central Files Name Files (Ford)

White House Central Files Name Files, 8/1974-1/1977 National Archives Identifier 564463

White House Central Files Subject Files on Recreation and Sports, 8/1974-1/1977 National Archives Identifier 564245

GRF-0126 - Sheila R. Weidenfeld Files (Ford)

Sheila Weidenfeld’s General Subject Files, 1974-1977 National Archives Identifier 644396

GRF-WHPO - White House Photographic Office (Ford)

Gerald R. Ford White House Photographs, 8/9/1974-1/20/1977 National Archives Identifier 1756311

GWB-WHPO - Records of the White House Photo Office (George W. Bush)

Photographs Related to the George W. Bush Administration, 1/20/2001-1/20/2009 National Archives Identifier 5962237

HICK: John R. Hickman Audio Collection

Sound Recordings of Historical Radio Broadcasts, World War II Government Documentaries, and Popular Radio Shows, 1906 - 1993 National Archives Identifier 1487762

HRST - Hearst Metrotone News, Inc. Collection

News of the Day Motion Picture Newsreel Films, 10/1963- 12/1967 National Archives Identifier 95102

JC-WHPO - Records of the White House Press Office (Carter)

Black Media Mass Mailing Files, 1977-1981 National Archives Identifier 6210723

JC-WHSP - Carter White House Photographs Collection

Carter White House Photographs: Presidential, 1/20/1977-1/22/1981 National Archives Identifier 173341

WJC-AG-PO - Vice Presidential Records of the White House Photograph Office (Clinton)

Vice Presidential Photographs, 1/20/1993-1/20/2001 National Archives Identifier 7349218

WJC-WHPO - Photographs of the White House Photograph Office (Clinton)

Photographs Relating to the Clinton Administration, 1/20/1993-1/20/2001 National Archives Identifier 594653