Jackie Robinson Essay

Jackie fought racism in his California childhood, at collage and throughout his whole life. During his childhood at California he was always picked on at school. Kids taunted him so much and so badly that he developed a hot temper.

The legacy of Jackie Robinson goes beyond the April 15, 1947 afternoon at Ebbets Field, when the Brooklyn Dodger infielder became the first black in the 20th century to play baseball in the major leagues. He changed the sport, and he changed the attitude of a lot of people in this country, Jackie Robinson fought for all the people that were fortunate, a lot of them are, especially the minority guys, to be able to play in the major leagues and the impact on the people of color today.

The retelling of Robinson’s story has been retold many times from the perspective of baseball. Jack Roosevelt Johnson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo Georgia, the youngest of five children during a Spanish flu and smallpox epidemic. When Jackie was very young his father abandoned the family. Now Jackie’s mother Mollie Robinson, had to find a better life for her family. Due to Jim Crow laws Mollie could not buy a house for her family, because they were barred from certain neighborhoods for whites only. Despite this fact Mollie didn’t care she persuaded a light skinned black man to act is if he was buying a house in Pasadena, California. (MSR News) Then the Robinson’s moved in, whites were furious and threatened to burn them out of the house. Mollie ignored the threats and went about her business. This strength and cunning shown b their mother showed the kids how to fight for what they believe in, and to never stop believing and pursuing

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 Robinson was the very first African American to play on a major league baseball team; he played on the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie was a very passionate African American. Before his baseball career, he had a dream to be the very first African American baseball player. When he finally stepped on the field, he had to deal with “snubs and rebuffs” and “bigoted fans screaming ‘n-----‘. People doubted him and had no hope

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

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 became a second lieutenant in the US Army. In 1945 he was discharged from the Army for having weak ankles. After serving in the Army Jackie wanted to play sports so he joined Negro League baseball team, the Kansas City Monarchs. Later he joined the Dodgers showing that black Americans can play professional sports too. He did not care what people told him about his skin color, he did not care about the names people yelled at him. But it did bother him, but he fought against it mentally not physically. He did what Branch Rickey told him to do, not fight

Jackie played in a baseball league with only white people, but still managed to play and fight off racism that teammates and opponents threw at him. The St. Louis Cardinals went on strike because they did not want to play on the same field as a black man. Similar like Jackie, the Jews were discriminated by Hitler, by having discriminatory actions against the Jews.” A life is not important except in the impact it has on others lives”(BrainyQuote.com). Jackie’s life had a huge impact on many African Americans, as he was the first African American to play in the MLB, so he beat the discrimination and carved the way for fellow African Americans.

Jackie Robinson was chosen to integrate into the Major League baseball during a time in history when the back was not a part of the Major Leagues. On his path to becoming the first black player in the Major Leagues, he had to endure racism expressed by his teammates, other baseball owners, and fans. In paragraph three of the text, Robinson says, “It hadn’t been that easy to fight the resentment expressed by players on other teams.”. This quote explains, that Robinson had been challenged by players and rude fans from the crowd. Despite the racism he faced, he grew and developed through the support and encouragement of the children and black fans. Jackie Robinson responded to these events by continuing to play baseball and to improve his playing skills on the field. In paragraph ten, the text states, “They needed a victorious black man as a symbol.”. This quote explains that Robinson has

His performance in these sports and in school showed the people around him his potential. This allowed him to move on to junior college, and then college at UCLA. His perseverance allowed him to participate in multiple college sports at once, some, such as track and baseball, even in the same season. His talents and work ethic were so great that the school’s athletic director planned track meets and baseball games around each other to accommodate Robinson’s schedule. This part of his life was only the start of a great road ahead of him, which included a stint in the military.

Jackie Robinson was chosen to integrate into Major League Baseball during a time in history when blacks were not 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 as insults, physical harm and pressure from his teammates, other baseball owners, and fans. In paragraph three of the text, Robinson states, “Some of my own teammates refused to accept me because I was black.” This quote shows that Robinson had to deal with racial tensions because his skin was black. He was often separated from the rest of his teammates, and was rejected by them because of his skin color. Despite the racism he faced, he grew and developed through the support, encouragement, and love shown to him by his supporters- the children and black fans.

In high school, Robinson stared in football, baseball, basketball, and track. He lettered in all four sports and even broke his older brother’s track record of the running broad jump. He received a scholarship from UCLA, and met his future wife Rachel Isum. He then had thoughts that he wouldn’t be successful there for being a black man so he dropped out and joined the army. In the army Jackie kept his respect for

Jackie displayed all the characteristics of a visionary leader. A team was built around Jackie that capitalized on his strengths, and in 1947, he took the field as the first African-American to play in the big leagues. By leveraging diversity, the Brooklyn Dodgers were anchored with a shared vision, they inspired and motivated each other and went on to win several championships as a result. Prior to the successful emergence into the big leagues, Jackie knew education was important. After high school and prior