How Did Jackie Robinson Break The Racial Barrier

Jackie Robinson is mostly remembered for breaking the color barrier in baseball. By stepping into the predominantly white sport, he changed the face of not only baseball, but also the United States as a whole. He did all of this during a time of segregated buses, schools, hotels, drinking fountains, and when restaurants were separated. After joining the league in 1947, he wasn't accepted. He faced death threats, vulgar insults, and fans

“Spring training in Florida was rough for Robinson due to segregation laws” (“Jackie” 2). This quote shows the MLB was segregated and Jackie did not care. “ Robinson’s arrival on the major league scene in 1947 prompted slew racially motivated actions” (“Jackie” 2). This quote shows that people were going to hate Jackie and he knew that people would.“ The St. Louis Cardinals threatened to go on strike” (“Jackie” 2). This quote shows teams were not going to play with Jackie in the league because they did not want him to play baseball. “ National League president Ford Frick threatened to ban all strikers from professional baseball” (“Jackie” 2). This quote shows that Ford Frick is willing to stand up for Jackie and people care about Jackie playing baseball. “ Pitchers often threw the ball directly at Jackie, baserunners tried to spike him” (“Jackie” 2). This quote shows that other pitchers and runners hated Jackie and tried to get him out of baseball. “In his first year, Jackie hit 12 home runs and helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant” (“Robinson” 3). This quote shows that Jackie would be a key part for the Dodgers. “That year, Robinson lead the National League in stolen bases and was selected Rookie of the Year” (“Robinson” 3). This shows that Jackie would be a star in the MLB. Next will be breaking the color

Jackie Robinson’s life changed when he became the first black man to play in the World Series and Major League Baseball during a time of segregation in America. These life-changing events challenged him because he had to face racially tense crowds and endured threats from teammates, opponents, and bigoted fans. In paragraph three, Robinson states, “There were threats against me and my family and even out-and-out attempts at physical harm to me. This quote explains that Jackie Robinson was facing racist people who were threatening him. Despite the racism he faced, Robinson learned to have pride in his accomplishments and appreciate the support courage, and love shown by his supporters. In paragraph eleven, Robinson states,”I don’t think i’ll ever forget the small, shrill voice of a tiny white kid who, in the midst of a racially tense atmosphere during an early game in a Dixie town, cried out “Attaboy Jackie”.” This quote explains how Robinson had pride in himself after a tiny white kid motivated him by encouraging him that he was a really good baseball player. Robinson responded to the life-changing events by not giving up when he was getting hate and racism. In paragraph three, it states, “Within the club, Mr. Rickey had put down rebellion that by letting my teammates know that anyone who didn’t want to be

It has been said that real heroes risk their lives for others and Jackie Robinson has proven to be a hero. Robinson was “the first African American major league ballplayer of the twentieth century” (Scott 2) and has influenced many people on and off the field. When he “took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day, April 15, 1947, he forever changed the face of major league baseball (“Jackie Robinson - Changing Major League Baseball”, 0:06-0:16). Throughout his years of playing on the field, he became a “militant campaigner for civil rights” (Scott 6) to show how it is important to America's history. Robinson has made major contributions to the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement by showing his courage, confidence, and what he stands for.

In the biography Jackie Robinson and the American Dilemma by John R. M. Wilson, it tells the story of racial injustice done after world war II and explains how Jackie Robinson was pioneer of better race relations in the United States. The obstacles Jackie Robinson overcame were amazing, he had the responsibility to convert the institutions, customs, and attitudes that had defined race relations in the United States. Seldom has history ever placed so much of a strain on one person. I am addressing the importance of Jackie Robinson’s trials and triumphs to American racial dynamics in the post war period to show how Robinson was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and brought baseball fans together regardless of race.

To the average person, in the average American community, Jackie Robinson was just what the sports pages said he was, no more, no less. He was the first Negro to play baseball in the major leagues. Everybody knew that, but to see the real Jackie Robinson, you must de-emphasize him as a ball player and emphasize him as a civil rights leader. That part drops out, that which people forget. From his early army days, until well after his baseball days, Robinson had fought to achieve equality among whites and blacks. "Jackie acted out the philosophy of nonviolence of Martin Luther King Jr., before the future civil rights leader had thought of applying it to the problem of segregation in America"(Weidhorn 93). Robinson was an avid

In 1947, Jackie Robinson was a Major League Baseball player. The Dodgers had called him up on assignment and Jackie immediately started working. In spring training of his first season, his Brooklyn teammates made a petition to prevent him from playing, but the manager of the team, Leo Durocher, put an end to the petition. On the field, Robinson was an outstanding player. In his first year, he was named the league’s most outstanding rookie. He led the national league in steals with 29. At the end of the season, America made him the second most popular celebrity in the nation. Robinson was named the National league Rookie of the Year, and was honored with a “Jackie Robinson Day” (York).

Jackie was a phenomenal athlete for young kids to look up to. After the start of World War II he served in the military from 1942 to 1944. After the war he returned to his love for baseball, playing in the Black major leagues. He was chosen by Branch Rickey, vice president of the Brooklyn dodgers, to help integrate the Major Leagues. Rickey hated segregation just as much as Robinson and wanted to change things “Rickey had once seen a Black college player turned away from a hotel… Rickey never forgot seeing this player crying because he was denied a place to lay his weary head just because of the color of his skin” (Mackenzie). He was finally able to do something about segregation and help change baseball and the United States for the better. It wasn’t that all the teams were racist and didn’t want a black player but when the major league teams had an away game they would rent out the stadium to the black teams for them to play at. And the executives of teams didn’t want to loose the money that they were making off of the black teams. “League owners would lose significant rental revenue” (“Breaking”). He soon signed with the all-white Montreal Royals a farm team for the Dodgers. Robinson had an outstanding start with the Royals, “leading the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage” (Robinson). After Robinson’s outstanding year he was promoted to the Dodgers he played his first game on

And as the parents were saying it, their child picked up on it and eventually was taught to be racist. Jackie Robinson once said to his agent “I'm not concerned with you liking me or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human”. Throughout his first season players from other teams try to injury him when he’s at bat or if he was on base. Lastly, Jackie Robinson was getting mailed death threats from his teammates and fans all over America. The threatened to kill his wife and his daughter if he didn't get out of the

Jackie Robinson was an American hero not only for the African American community proving that they were equal to white Americans, but also breaking the color barrier in major American sports and paved the way for future minorities for major American sports. Robinson throughout his whole life faced racial discrimination and was treated inferior to whites from his childhood until the day he died, and his life’s work made America a better place for African Americans by gaining more rights and opportunities, whether if they gained Civil Rights or rights to play on the same field as white professional sports players. The man who took the risk of signing Jackie Robinson was the General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers Branch Rickey, a former Major

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,” said a great man named Jackie Robinson. ("Jackie Robinson." Baseball Hall of Fame. History.com, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.) Jackie Robinson was an African American who broke the color barrier in 1947. (web 2). Jackie Robinson was born in January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. (web 1). Jackie was the youngest out of 5 children, and raised by a single mother.(web 1). Later when he was forced to leave college, due to financial hardship, he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii to play semi-professional football which didn't last long because of WWII in America. (web 1). Branch Rickey was the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey was the man who wanted to break the barrier, and to do so he

Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player to play In the major leagues. Jackie Robinson has food and drinks thrown at him, he’s been booed off the field and people have tried to dig their cleats into his skin so he would not be able to play but he kept playing and After all that hard work he won a national league M.V.P in 1955, and he won a world series champ in 1955. Jackie Robinson showed this when he said “Baseball is like poker, nobody wants to quit when he's losing and nobody wants to quit when he’s ahead.”

Born on January 31, 1919 in Georgia, Jackie was he emerged with an extraordinary gift. Mr. Robinson was treated unfairly (LY), with a lack of respect, from Caucasians both on and off the field. This however did not detour him off the path from becoming one of baseball’s greatest at stealing bases and turning double plays. Moreover, Jackie’s determination and perseverance inspired many African Americans to pursue their dreams and endure the social injustices they witnessed everyday in their quest to achieve personal freedom. (5) When (CL) Mr. Robinson earned himself the reputation as one of the toughest and most talented (QA) athletes with the rarest flair in history, he was soon recognized as an amazing person by everyone including Caucasians. However, Jackie Robinson was not the only man fighting against racism.

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31st 1919. In 1947, at the age of 28, Jackie became the first African American to break the “color line” of Major League Baseball when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his tenure with the Dodgers, Jackie was not simply an average player. Among various other accolades, Mr. Robinson was a starter on six World Series teams as well as being named the National League Rookie of The Year in 1947. His advantageous career was then capped in 1962 when he was inducted in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.1 Contrary to popular belief, Jackie's perseverance in implementing racial integration extended beyond his career in Major League Baseball. During the Sixties Jackie Robinson was a

“Without a doubt Jackie suffered more abuse and more hatred than any other player in the history of the game and had good sportsmanship and complimented a young white boy from Oakland”(Wong 153). Even though tough times where rolling around for Jackie. Staying humble when little baseball fans came around spoke a lot about a person true character. “When Jackie was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pee Wee Reese’s teammates made an effort to sign a petition to be traded than play alongside a black man”(Wong 274). It goes to show that growing up in segregation mixed with a bunch of racist installed wrong morals in little boys which carry out into adulthood. “More than a decade before Martin Luther King’s development for nonviolent protest techniques for the southern racism Ricky was trying the tactic on Jackie”(Glasser 6). Ricky was reteaching Robinson how to react when violence was thrown at him in every which way. Even the battles that Robinson did not know about where being handle in a good manner. “Jackie performance under unimaginable pressure was true one of the greatest athletic triumphs, if not the greatest in American history”(Glasser 8). Words can not put into say what a young black man had to face to play baseball with rowdy, snobby white man that dominated the game. “In the first 37 games Robinson was hit by the pitchers six times, no player in the history