FDR and Pearl Harbor

Jackie Robinson faced much adversity through his career, but he eventually gained the respect of thousands across the country and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the son of Jerry Robinson and Mallie Robinson. His father Jerry was a plantation farm worker and his mother was a domestic worker. Jackie had four siblings, three brothers and one sister, Edgar, Frank, Mack, and Willa Mae. Jerry Robinson, Jackie’s father, left him, his mother, and his four siblings when Jackie was just six months old and never returned. Jackie’s mother was a very religious women, so she tried to do better for her and her children by moving by railroad out to Pasadena, California. Although conditions were not as bad as they were in Georgia, there was still racial discrimination in California. However the self-respect and self-confidence that Jackie’s mother taught him later would help him later facing the discrimination on the baseball field (Biography.com) So was Jackie Robinson entering Major League Baseball (MLB) a major historical event? Well Jackie Robinson entering the MLB was a major historical event, especially in baseball. Jackie Robinson’s persistence through the adversity he faced paved the way for all the other minorities that play in the MLB in today’s game, he played a part in the civil rights movement, he served in World War II (WWII), and played a variety of different sports throughout his life. His entering into the game was a major milestone in Baseball history.

The color barrier was broken in 1947 by Jackie Robinson. He became the first African American to play in the MLB when the Brooklyn Dodgers signed him. As a rookie ...

... middle of paper ...

... remained very active for social change. The company Chock Full O’ Nuts hired Jackie as an executive for their business. He also helped establish the Freedom Bank that was owned by African Americans. Jackie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, and was the first African American to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He also served on the NAACP board until 1967. Then just five short years later, Jackie’s number forty two jersey was retired by the Dodgers organization. Due to heart complications and and diabetes Jackie died on October 24, 1972. After his death he was survived by his wife Rachel Islum along with two of their three children(biography.com.) Jackie’s life and legacy will forever will be remembered for all of time. In 1997 every team in Major League Baseball celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Jackie entering the MLB(jackierobinson.com.)