transcript:
ANNOUNCER: Today we tell a traditional American story called a "tall tale."  A tall tale is a story about a person who is larger than life. The descriptions in the story are exaggerated – much greater than in real life.  Long ago, the people who settled in undeveloped areas of America first told tall tales. After a hard day's work, people gathered to tell each other stories.

Each group of workers had its own tall tale hero. An African American man named John Henry was the hero of former slaves and the people who built the railroads.  He was known for his strength.

Railroads began to link the United States together in the nineteenth century.  The railroads made it possible to travel from one side of the country to the other in less than a week. Before then, the same trip might have taken up to six months.

Railroad companies employed thousands of workers to create the smooth, flat pathways required by trains.  John Henry was perhaps the most famous worker.  He was born a slave in the southern United States.   He became a free man as a result of America's Civil War. Then, he worked for the railroads.

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