Jackie Robinson Biography Essay

Jackie Robinson was one of the most historically well known people in the civil rights movement. So as the first man to integrate major league baseball, Jackie Robinson had a game changing impact on the way the game was played. Having the courage to fight for what is right, Jackie broke the imaginary color barrier that has covered major league baseball for years. Through his resiliency and tenaciousness in the face of seemingly unconquerable odds, Jackie Robinson set the course for African Americans to continue the expansion for equality and true freedom while he was becoming one of the greatest Major League baseball players in history.

The grandson of a slave, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia; he was the youngest of five children. Jackie grew up very poor, but little did he know that his athletic ability would open the doors for his future. After his father deserted the family when Jackie was six months old, his mother, Mallie Robinson, moved the family to California in search of work. California also subjected blacks to segregation at that time, but to less of a degree than in the Deep South. The young Jackie defused his anger over this prejudice by immersing himself in sports. He displayed extraordinary athletic skills in high school, excelling at football, basketball, baseball, and track. After helping Pasadena Junior College

After UCLA, Jackie was an athletic direct for a few months for the National Youth Administration in Atascadero, California. Robinson’s dream of playing professional sports pushed him to go to Hawaii in 1941 to join a semipro, racially integrated football team. They were called the Honolulu Bears. He worked as a construction worker for the during the week. On the weekends, he was a member of the team. He returned after the short football season to the United States, right after

Born on January 31, 1919 Jack Roosevelt Robinson was the youngest of five children. His father left the family before Jackie turned one and shortly after his mom moved the family from Georgia to California in search of work (Contemporary Black Biography). Segregation was still present in California, but was less harsh than in the south. To get away from the problems and racial prejudice, Jackie turned to sports. He was an exceptional athlete excelling in football, baseball, basketball, and track in both high school and college. He played four sports for the University of California Los Angeles (commonly known as UCLA). He was mostly a football and basketball star and had no intentions of playing Major League baseball due to the fact that it was all white. Jackie had always wanted to become a social worker to help underprivileged boys and hoped that travelling the nation for sports would expose him to a job in that field

Jackie Robinson was born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Ga. being the 25 days preceding Jackie’s birth President Roosevelt died, Roosevelt was Jackie’s middle name. (Obias 2013) Shortly after his birth, his family moved and settled in Pasadena, Calif. During Jackie’s early adulthood World War 2 was occurring across the world. Like many young men Jackie was drafted to serve in the war. However, Jackie received a court martial for refusing to move to the back of the bus for a white soldier. Jackie never saw war action as the incident occurred during boot camp.

From 1942 to 1944, Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. However he never saw combat. During boot camp at Fort Hood, Texas, Robinson was arrested and court martialed in 1944 for not giving up his seat and move to the back of a segregated bus. Robinsons excellent reputation combined with the efforts of friends, the NAACP and various black newspapers, shed public light on the injustice. Ultimately he was acquitted of the charges and received an honorable discharge. His courage and moral objection to segregation were precursors to the impact Robinson would have in Major League

Robinson was took a huge risk taking part in this, but it was worth it. He helped the Dodgers win the World Series and after the game a huge mob chased Jackie for three blocks and Sam Maltin a reporter from the Pittsburg Courier stated “It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of hate on its mind” (Swaine, 2006). It took years until the Major Leagues opened up to more African Americans, but when it did they had a lot of love for Jackie. Joe Black a former teammate expressed his gratitude by saying “When I look at my house. I say thank God for Jackie Robinson” (Singer, 2016).

On April 15,1947 Jackie Roosevelt Robinson broke the color barrier. When he stepped out on to Ebbets Field everyone didn't think he could last long. Jackie was born in Cairo Georgia on January 31,1919, he was the youngest out of five children. He attended John Muir High School. He continued his education at the University Of California, where he became the university’s first student to win four varsity letters in all different sports. In 1941, he was forced to leave UCLA because of financial hardship. Jackie played baseball, football, basketball and was on the track team. From 1942 to 1944, Jackie served as a

Jackie was soon sent a letter that the Kansas City Monarchs baseball team wanted him to play for them. Jackie had accepted and he made exceptional pay. He played shortstop in all his games and he was known for stealing bases. In 1947, Jackie had broke the color barrier.

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919-October 24, 1972) was the first black athlete to break the color barrier. He stepped out to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Throughout his long career, Robinson became one of the game's most talented and exciting players, and he also had a .311 batting average. He was also a vocal civil rights activist.

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

Jackie robinson was a important and influential figure in history that had a positive impact on the world because little did he know he’d be the first black athlete to play in the Major League Baseball in the 20th century. Jackie robinson was Born on January 31,1919 in Cairo georgia, to Jerry and Mallie Robinson who were both sharecroppers. Jackie was the youngest of the five children in the family. One of jackie robinson downfall In 1920, after his father abandoned his family, they moved to Pasadena, California, where his mother took sundry jobs to sustain her family. Due to this jackie robinson proceed to stay in school, He graduated from Washington Junior High School in 1935. He was sent to the John Muir High School where his athletic talents

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31,1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie was one of 5 children; his older brother Matthew, who won silver in the 1936 Olympics, inspired Jackie to pursue his talent and love for athletics. Jackie went to UCLA, he was the first student to win varsity letters in 4 sports. In 1941 he had to leave UCLA because of money trouble, just before graduation. Jackie served in the army from 1939-1941,after that he started to play for the Kansas City Monarchs all black team. He met Branch Rickey, the leader of the Dodgers, and signed a baseball contract to play for the Dodgers. Jackie Robinson is the most effect citizen of the 20th Century. Some of his qualities are

In 1942, he was drafted into the army due to World War II. After being “honorably discharged” due to him disregarding a military bus drivers orders to “get to the back of the bus”, Robinson was noticed by Rickey’s scouts. He “broke the color barrier” (Staff, 2009) when he signed a contract with the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey.

Jackie Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College. Pasadena Junior College is where he also an outstanding athlete. The sports he was outstanding in was Football, Basketball, track, and