Jackie Robinson and the Civil Rights Movement Essay

It’s a good thing that Jackie Robinson wasn’t dishonorably discharged, but he was acquitted instead. He wouldn’t have been playing in the MLB if he was dishonorably discharged because Branch Rickey would of picked someone else for his first black player. But it 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first black player to play in the MLB for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson was the first black to play professional baseball in the MLB because Branch Rickey wanted to recruit black players onto his team. Rickey never clearly explained the motivations for this dramatic turnaround. “I couldn’t face my God much knowing that His black creatures are held separate and distinct from his white creatures in the game that has given me all I own.” Branch Rickey said.

After about five blocks, the driver, a white man, turned in his seat and ordered Jackie to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver threatened to make trouble for him when the bus reached the station, but Jackie wouldn’t budge.

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 the United States. These life-changing events challenged him because he had to face racially tense crowds and endured threats from teammates, opponents and bigoted fan. According to paragraph three of the text, Robinson states, “Some of my teammates refused to accept me because I was black. I had been forced to live with snubs, rebuffs, and rejections. “ This quote explains that Robinson had faced the rejections from some of his teammates because he looked different from them. Despite the racism he faced, these life-changing events caused Robinson to grow and develop by making him proud of his accomplishments and appreciate the support, courage, and love shown by his supporters. In paragraph four, Robinson states, “Black people supported me with total loyalty. They supported me morally: they came to sit in a hostile audience in unprecedented numbers to make the turnstiles hum as they never had before at ballparks all over the nation. Money is America's God, and business people can dig black power if it coincides with green power, so these fans were important to the success of Mr. Rickey's ‘Noble Experiment’.” This quote stated the idea of the blacks were trying to fight through their excitement and nervousness that they felt since they had not been

Jackie Robinson brought baseball fans of all races together and it improved race relations because even though their was still hatred, white people were getting eased into racial integration since Jackie Robinson was laying the foundations of civil rights. Robinson was loved by many and hated by plenty, every game he played he packed the stands whether it be fans who are cheering for him or booing him. According to the biography by Wilson “Many fans came out to cheer Robinson, and a lot came out to boo him but both groups bought tickets” (75). He performed so well on the baseball field that the fans would lose sight of his color, and the stands were predominantly white so he was doing so well with a very unsupportive fan base. In the biography

When he was playing baseball the leagues were separated from white and black. No african american had ever played in the white leagues of baseball until Jackie Robinson came around. The president of the the Brooklyn Dodgers took a chance on Jackie Robinson so he could integrate the major league baseball league. When jackie got there he had to promise not to fight back. With all of the words and actions they did he could not fight back or it would say something that he was violent and they would never have another african american play in the mlb. A bunch of fans from whites and blacks loved him, but a portion of whites didn't and they were the other teams and their coaches.The philadelphia phillies team and their manager Ben chapman shouted inappropriate derogatory terms at robinson from their dugouts. Jackie broke the color barrier by becoming the first african american to play in the mlb. All of the discrimination, racism, and pain that jackie endured was worth it for everyone. What he did that seemed like a simple tiny task was a massive thing. It integrated all sports for all

The crowd yelled racial slurs at him, threatened him, and threw things at him on the field he got mad and wanted to fight but he didn’t because he didn't want to prove them that African Americans didn't have discipline and he let his game speak for him and made the people he went against mad played the game he loved baseball and made a living for over ten years he played baseball he left baseball in 1956. He set the standard for the entire baseball league. Every African American wanted to be him. On the road he couldn't stay in the same hotel with his teammates. Some teams wouldn't even play against the dodgers because of him. He played with courage when he stayed in the league and he could have quit the league and went back to the Negro league. He also rose to second Lieutenant Blacks were required to move to the back of the bus before they could sit down Robinson was charged of not following the rule but the charges were dismissed at the end of the war. Jackie Robinson was a role model to the entire African Americans ballplayer who people didn’t like much but he dint fight he just played baseball and let his game speak. Jackie

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play baseball in the Major Leagues. He battled and fought through racism, he was a Civil Rights Activist. He changed the way Americans thought about segregation and baseball. Jackie Robinson led the Dodgers to six national titles and one victorious World Series. Jackie Robinson was first born on January 31st of 1919, in Cairo Georgia.

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

From the Humble beginning Jackie Robinson would grow to be the first baseball player to break the major leagues Baseball color barrier that segregated the sport for more than 50 years. At the beginning when Jackie Robinson was chosen by the Brooklyn Dodgers coach to play in the majors. When Robinson played his first game he was called names and he was threatened. Throughout his decade-long career with the Dodgers, Robinson made advancements in the cause of civil rights for black athletes. After more than ten games robinson wasn’t known by his color, he was known as someone who never gave up and he kept pushing to make a stand on the team. The first time Robinson was introduced on the team not even his teammates looked at him or talked to him

All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” He was called racial slurs during games and was treated as an animal instead of another human being which was a everyday occurrence and he still had the courage to continue to do what he thought was right to do which he knew would help his fellow man. After everything Robinson did Major League Baseball created Jackie Robinson day which is held every year on April 15th this year will be the 70th anniversary of his first start in professional baseball. Jackie Robinson Day is a day where every player wears his retired number 42 and they hold ceremonies that honor Robinson for the courage he displayed. The major league baseball network also named their studio 42 in his honor as well. The negro league also have their own hall of fame but the league also recognizes all of their records as all-time numbers because some of the negro players were the best to ever play the game and they deserve to be honored as that. When we look at leaders at every position in the hall of fame hank Aaron who is considered one of the best home run hitters was black, Ernie banks one of the best first basemen of all time was black and there were many more black men who made baseball expand to what it is today and that why the league wants to grow that demographic of the

Seventy years ago, Jack Roosevelt Robinson became the first black player in Major League Baseball. Jackie Robinson was an important figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His greatest accomplishment, however, was integrating baseball. He made many Americans excited about it because he was the first African American to ever play in Major League Baseball. Also, he did many things for the Civil Rights Movement. The integration of baseball set off a reaction of different movements to desegregate places like schools, public facilities, and the army.

Jackie Robinson was a vocal civil activist throughout his life, especially during his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Before Robinson, professional baseball was for white men only. However, the manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers wanted to change this and he saw an opportunity in Jackie Robinson. Robinson was a courageous baseball player and had what it takes to make a major change in society. The number of African American and Latino baseball players steadily grew throughout the years after Jackie’s debut in the Major Leagues; he opened up an opportunity for many men who otherwise may have never had a shot.

Many other players in the Negro League wanted to follow his steps, to one day be as famous as Jackie was. Robinson’s celebrity set the stage for civil rights advantages society wide. Jackie’s own rights activism was not just about baseball. Jackie had defied an order by a white bus driver to move to the back of the bus to make room for a white officer. This was 11 years before Rosa Parks had her incident on the bus. Jackie had to go to court for this incident. The army sent him a medical discharge for this incident. “Robinson’s gusty action foreshadowed subsequent baseball diamond conduct,” was said by John Vernon in the spring 2008 issue of the United States National Archives publication. There were other aspects of Jackie’s civil rights activism bracketed him with the Dodgers and continued until his death from diabetes and other heart issues at the young age of fifty-three (Sirs, 2008). Jackie’s death was a tragic event that crushed many people’s hearts who loved baseball.

Robinson only got one hit in that three game series'' (linge pg 54). The players for the other team would take advantage of him in game by trying to hurt him. “With Robinson playing his position could get easily cleated and the runners could make an excuse like I was trying for another bag” (linge pg 60). Some of Jackies teammates would defend him against racial abuse. “Jackie's own players decided to defend him when putting up with racial abuse. His teammate Pee Wee Reese walked over to Robinson and put his arm around him. That has gone down in baseball history” ("Jackie Robinson Biography"). Jackie made a promise with the manager and if he respond to racial slurs he could be kicked of the team. “The Phillies called him a lot of racial slurs that he couldn't respond to them” (linge pg 63). Finally, Jackie's teammate had enough enough of the racial taunts and responded. “The shortstop for the Dodgers, Ed Stankey had enough of of the taunts and yelled back at them to stand up for Robinson, who couldn't respond due to what the contract said” (linge pg 64). Jackie was playing for his team but since his color didn't match the others the

He was an extremely gifted athlete, and, as a result, became the first African American to win varsity letters in four different sports at UCLA in 1939 (“The Jackie Robinson Foundation”). He served in the Army as a Second Lieutenant and “was honorably discharged after facing insubordination charges for refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus” (“Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier”). While playing in the Negro League, Robinson challenged segregation both in baseball and in everyday life. He was known for occasionally fighting back but also having nerves of steel to stand up for what he believed was right. Branch Rickey, the President and General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agreed to let Robinson play as long as he would not respond with violence to the abuse Rickey knew he was about to face.