Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball “A life is not important except in the impact it has on others”(Robinson). This is the standpoint Jackie Robinson had on life being a black person during his time period. He was a strong and courageous man despite the hardships that were set in his lifetime. He was faced with poverty, low income, and racial threats, but was granted with the gift of being a great athlete. Jackie Robinson being the first black MLB player had a great affect on American history because he helped boost morale, pushed toward civil rights, and integrated blacks into white sports. Jackie Robinson was a star in the eyes of the black people around him. A hero even. He gave them something to cheer for, and a reason to …show more content…
With the same idea as Martin Luther King Jr., he worked hard to stay non-violent and to “turn the cheek” to the many threats and racial slurs he received throughout his time in the Major League. He was the target of many cold-hearted fans, and even some of the players on his own team. He was already born a leader, but these things fueled his fire even more. 5 years after he began playing in the MLB, he testified against discrimination before the House of Un-American Activities Committee and called out the Yankees for not yet breaking the color barrier. Along with that, he also served as a leader on the board of the NAACP until 1967.(www.NAACP.org) There, he made speeches that inspired people to get on board and to fight for their rights and for changes. He said, “Certainly if such revolutionary change can be brought about in baseball, it can be brought about in education, in transportation, and in any other area of American life. (Robinson) He believed that change was just around the corner, and all it needed was a little push. Jackie was a firm believer in his ideas and that is why he is such an important figure in our …show more content…
Everyday life for him was having to stay at different hotels, or eat at different restaurants than his teammates. These things put his family at risk, whether it be receiving harsh language, or finding an equitable place to sleep. He knew these segregating laws were not fair, and the risks of safety were high, and still put up with the harsh treatments to prove his point of equality. Despite these things, he knew what he was doing would eventually lead to the full integration of sports. When the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers gave Robinson the chance to break the unwritten color barrier, he gladly accepted. He would have given anything to show that a black man was just as competent as a white. And he did. In 1981, his wish came true with an estimated 19% of Major League baseball players being African American, a startling change from the previous years.(mlblogs.com) Now, nearly 70 years later, all sports are integrated without a thought to color or race. This accomplishment made a huge difference to the black members of society and to our history in general. Jackie Robinson got his wish, even though he didn't live long enough to see it happen all the way through. Because of him, black players now have an equal opportunity to play and take part in the sports they
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
First of all, Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player in the major leagues, setting an example so others could follow, integrating baseball forever. When he joined the major leagues, he “smashed the unwritten law that kept blacks out of the big leagues.”(Robinson) When he joined the Dodgers, he faced verbal and physical threats, angry and racist fans. Even with all these people hating him, he worked hard to be the best player he could be, not another NLB player. Robinson later said that Mr.Ricky “Chosen me as the person to lead the way.” When Jackie heard this, he responded by ignoring the bad things and focusing on the good things and people who gave him support.”I had become the first black player in the major leagues.”(Robinson) This shows that Jackie
Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was a very important person in The Civil Rights Movement as he was the first African American man to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). Though Jackie was a star in football and baseball as a child he faced a lot of racism, people would cheer for him on the field but off it he was ridiculed and seen as worthless because of his skin color. Even as an adult in the Minor Leagues people threatened, and even threw things at him. Some teams didn’t show at games through shame of playing an African American. Through all of the racism Jackie stayed strong and ended up winning more rights for African Americans along with 137 home runs, 197 stolen bases, a .311 batting average, and a National League
On the day January 31, 1919, in the town of Cairo, Georgia, one of the greatest baseball players to ever live was born. His name was Jackie Robinson "Jackie Robinson". He was about to change history along with the game of baseball. Jackie Robinson was on path to break records and to become a household name. Jackie Robinson became a hero because he integrated the game of baseball, broke many records, changed the way baseball was played, and inspired many African Americans to pursue athletics.
Robinson had an incredible year in the minor league and was promoted to the MLB in no time. Branch Rickey and other GM’s saw how talented Jackie was and figured other black players would be very beneficial to their teams as well. Jackie Gave African Americans hope from playing and they saw how easily he dealt with this hate that came his
“A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives,” Jackie Robinson. Before Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks, and The Voting Rights Act of 1965, there was Jackie Robinson. Jackie is one of the most important men in history inside and outside of baseball. "What he's responsible for ... he deserves more, in my opinion, than what he has already, I think Jackie is entitled to and should have a national holiday for what he did to make things right in this world. Especially for black people,” said Don Newcombe, former Dodgers pitcher and Robinson’s teammate. (CBS Sports, Robinson's influence,) So how exactly did Jackie Robinson change racial integration in baseball today?
Jackie proved that blacks and whites were equal they can play the same sports and played a big part in the change of baseball and even has a day where everyone wheres 42 to honor him. Jackie was a great player he even got elected in the hall of fame “Jackie was elected in the hall of fame in 1962” (Baseball.org). Jackie had a lot of troubles going through the racial discrimination but he had a lot of help by his good friend Pee Wee Reese he became friends with jackie and guided him through the baseball and how to ignore the haters for example “Cincinnati fans were giving Robinson a particularly tough time as the Dodgers took the field in the bottom of the first. In a show of support, Reese temporarily left his position at shortstop and traveled over to Robinson at first base and put his arm around the rookie, silencing the crowd, which was awed by the act of racial empathy by Reese, a popular All-Star from nearby Kentucky.”. Jackie gave a lot of credit to Pee Wee and how much he helped
Many different Americans have affected our American literature, but the one who really caught my attention was Jackie Robinson. Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. In 1942, Robinson was drafted into the army and assigned to an all-black cavalry unit at Fort Reilly, Kansas. Robinson was discharged from the Army in 1944, Robinson began to play baseball professionally. At the time, the spot was segregated, and African-Americans and whites played in separate leagues.
He knew that if he failed to integrate baseball, he could delay civil rights. By doing what he did, he contributed greatly to the movement. Jackie Robinson's life experiences and hardships allowed him to leave a mark on civil rights that extended further than just baseball. Jack
Robinson was a four sport athlete in baseball, football, basketball, and track, and also received a sports scholarship to UCLA and was first to letter in four sports. Although Jackie Robinson endured a substantial amount of racial discrimination, he proved that he was the most influential person in American history by his impact on the baseball diamond and his work with Civil Rights. Jackie Robinson was faced with racial discrimination before and immediately entering the Major Leagues but he proved his critics wrong, and proved that African American baseball players were equal or even better than white baseball players. Jackie Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and was the First African American baseball player in Modern Era (since 1900) and ended more than 60 years of racial segregation. With fierce racial discrimination towards African Americans at the time it put even more pressure on Robinson because if he couldn’t do well he’d not only lose his job but he’d also ruin any chance of any minorities playing in the MLB for years after.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”- Jackie Robinson (Baseball Almanac). Jackie Robinson’s life accomplished more than impacting others, he impacted a nation. His humble upbringing, strong will, and fight for equality is unmatched by any other. He was one of the first African Americans to stand up for equal rights and broke through many barriers to allow others to fight with him. His Hall of Fame career on the baseball diamond is only a small piece to Jackie’s story of struggle and hardship to reach equality.
Growing up Jackie Robinson was raised by a single mother in relative poverty. In high school, he was an excellent athlete playing four sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball. In 1938, Robinson was chosen as the region’s Most Valuable Player in baseball. Though he grew up in harder conditions than most, he didn't use that as an excuse. His situation as a child didn’t hold him back, but rather motivated him to be exceptional in all he did. His older brother inspired him to pursue his talent and love for athletics. Continuing his education, Robinson, attended the University of California, Los Angeles. There he was the first to win four varsity letters. Right before graduation he was forced to leave UCLA due
Jackie Robinson was chosen to integrate Major League Baseball during a time in history when blacks were not accepted as a part of the Major Leagues. On his path to becoming the first black player in the Major Leagues, he had to endure many challenges, such as racism expressed through insults, physical harm, and pressure from his teammates, other baseball owners, and fans. This can be shown in paragraph three of his autobiography, where Robinson states, “It hadn't been that easy to fight the resentment expressed by players on other teams, by the team owners, or by bigoted fans screaming ‘n-----.’” This explains how opposition outside the Dodgers team was severe and came from many places because society did not accept him since he was a black player in the Major Leagues, which no one else had been before. Despite the
Jackie Robinson was a very important man to American history because he was the first black major league baseball player. Some might think it was easy for Jackie Robinson, but it was quite the opposite. He received stacks of hate mail, threats to his family, and even some of his own teammates didn’t accept him, but he didn’t stop trying. There were some good things that came with this though, black people supported him with total loyalty and there were many kids and some adults that didn’t
Later on, the Brooklyn Dodgers hired him to play. At first, he faced a lot of prejudice. He didn't care and sooner, people loved him. He was everywhere; there was articles about him in the newspaper, there were pictures of him everywhere, and everyone knew him. He was an amazing player. Soon people started hiring more and more African American players. The baseball league started getting integrated.In the text( Biography) it states,” ..he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America. By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nation’s favorite sport, he courageously challenges the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and South.” Jackie Robinson achieved his goal of integrating major league baseball teams.