Negro baseball league

706 Words2 Pages

The Negro Baseball League
The Negro Baseball League was a league comprised of professional, African American baseball players. The creation of this league comes from the black players who were not accepted into major or minor league baseball. Generally, The Negro Baseball league was a reflection of America during a time when society was segregated. The Negro Baseball League was influential to the 1920s because it changed the social development of America and demonstrated a sense of equality among men.
Segregation was sweeping the nation throughout the 1800s, but did not reach baseball until 1890. As Jim Crow laws were gradually becoming instituted across the union, baseball took on the character trait “separate but equal” (Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Major League Baseball). By the end of the 19th century, African Americans were rejected by organized teams and the color barrier of baseball was established.After many failed attempts in creating a black league, Andrew “Rube” Foster finally succeeded in 1920 (Negro League History 101-An Introduction to the Negro Leagues). On February 12, eight clubs were founded that made up the Negro National League (Light 624). Three years later teams from Atlantic City, Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore were added to form the Eastern League. In 1937, the Negro American League joined the Eastern League to make up the two separate leagues of the Negro National League (Dixon and Hannigan 21).
The Negro League was similar to the majors because they had an all-star game, league winners, a minor league structure, and a World Series. However, the conditions of players’ lives in the Negro League were very different than those from the white leagues. The players spent all day, every day to...

... middle of paper ...

...Negro Baseball League will always be remembered as the leading force in equal colored rights.

Works Cited
Adler, David A. “Jackie Robinson He Was the First” New York, New York: Holiday House,1990. Print.

Bolton,T. “Negro League History” N.p. Web 24 March.

Dixon, Phil, and Patrick J. Hannigan. “The Negro Baseball Leagues. Maltituck, New York: American Ltd, 1992. Print.

“Jackie Robinson and the Intergration of Major League Baseball.” History Today. N.p.,n.d. Web 24 Mar. 2014

Light, Jonathan Fraser. “Negro Baseball Awards.” The Cultural Encylopedia of Baseball. 2005 2nd ed. Print.

“Negro League History 101- An Introduction To The Negro Leagues. “Negro League History 101- An Introduction to the Negro League. N.p.,n.d. Web 24 Mar. 2014.

Nemee, David. “100 Years of Major League Baseball.” Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications Infernational, Ltd, 200. Print.

Open Document