Jackie Robinson and the Civil Rights Movement

1244 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Jackie robinson positive impact on america

“There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free”(Brainy). This was a quote by the notorious baseball player Jackie Robinson. He was the first African American man to play baseball in an all-whites league. During the 1940s Robinson altered the way the world looked at baseball. Jackie Robinson affected the Civil Rights Movement in baseball and everyday life while putting up with numerous struggles and conflicts along the way.
Born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919 Jackie was the youngest of five children. His father left the family in 1920 and Robinson’s childhood was in relative poverty. Growing up, he adored playing sports at his high school, John Muir. One of his more prominent role models was his older brother Matthew. Matthew was an outstanding runner and won a silver medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Second only to Jesse Owens in the 200 meter dash. Jackie graduated with good grades and attended Pasadena Junior College. After that he went to UCLA to play four sports. He received a varsity letter in football, basketball, track, and of course baseball. However, despite his success he was forced to leave his senior year due to financial problems in 1941. He moved to Hawaii and played football for the Honolulu Bears but couldn’t complete the season because the United States entered World War II. He was second lieutenant from 1942 to 1944 in the United States Army. He received an honorable discharge regardless of the fact that he wouldn’t give up his seat on a segregated bus. He came back to the United States and started playing baseball professionally (Bio).
Upon returning home, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs. At this time African Americans were not permitted to play baseball in ...

... middle of paper ...

...and the integration of baseball” web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2&sid=6fd32aed-63cd-41b8-8d7f-ec55e9125273%, Hutchinson Encyclopedia, 2000, April 28th 2014
Bio “Jackie Robinson Bio” http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813#video-gallery&awesm=~oD1zzsdrip9OgL, A&E television, 2014, May 3rd 2014
Wikipedia “Jackie Robinson” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson, Wikipedia, 2014, May 5th 2014
Wikipedia “Ben Chapman” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Chapman_(baseball), Wikipedia, April 28th 2014, May 7th 2014
Jackie Robinson the official site “Achievements” http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/achievements.html, Jackie Robinson foundation, 2011, May 10th 2014
MILB “Reliving Jackie’s ‘46 season” http://www.milb.com/milb/news/tributes/jackierobinson.jsp, 2014, May 11th 2014
Helgeland, Brian. Movie “42” Warner Bros. April 12th 2013, May 14th 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Jackie Robinson: Compare and Contrast

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jackie Robinson stands at front plate, with the bat gripped firmly in his hands. The crowd, rather than cheering, was booing and shouting at him. Racial slurs were throw before the baseball ever was, but Jackie kept calm. He couldn't let them win. The pitcher finally threw the ball. Crack! The ball sails over the stadium and the crowd is full of convoluted cries and shouts. Jackie jogged home. He had won that round.

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson's Accomplishments

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    There was quite a number of African-Americans playing alongside white athletes on minor and major league teams during the period between the end of the Civil War and 1890, when baseball was known for being mostly integrated. He spent his whole professional career with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947-1956. He put up crazy numbers during his career which led to 6 all-star team selections, a World Series championship, Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, 2 time stolen base leader and a league batting champion. Jackie wore number 42, which was later retired by the MLB.

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson: A Journey of Resilience and Triumph

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1935, Robinson graduated from Washington Junior High School and enrolled at John Muir High School (Muir Tech). [20] Recognizing his athletic talents, Robinson's older brothers Mack (himself an accomplished athlete and silver medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics)[19] and Frank inspired Jackie to pursue his interest in sports. [ 21][22] [33] While at PJC, he was motivated by a preacher (the Rev. Karl Downs) to attend church on a regular basis, and Downs became a confidant for Robinson, a Christian. [34] Toward the end of his PJC tenure, Frank Robinson (to whom Robinson felt closest among his three brothers) was killed in a motorcycle accident. The event motivated Jackie to pursue his athletic career at the nearby University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he could remain closer to Frank's family.

    Read More

  • Essay On Jackie Robinson

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether it was on the football field, on the basketball court, or out on the baseball field, Robinson encountered quite a bit of success wherever he went. (cite) Despite the talents of many African American baseball players, many were deemed inferior to their white counterparts. The sense of inferiority led many baseball players and owners of the teams in the Negro leagues to adjust to the status quo, however, Robinson was not one to simply seek to fulfill the status quo. Robinson was unwilling to conform with what mainstream society tried to force him to conform with, he constantly told his teammates that they should always be ready, someday one of them would be signed to break the color barrier and play in organized ball (cite to pg 48). Unlike many of his peers, he felt a different calling in the sport of baseball.

    Read More

  • Soul Of The Game And The Life Of Jackie Robinson

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    All three of these films discussed the importance of race in America and how whites treated people of other races during this time. The two films Soul of the Game and The Life of Jackie Robinson are both about African Americans and their struggle of being accepted into the world of baseball. The third film, Hank Greenberg is about the life of Hank Greenberg and how he, as a Jew, was both ridiculed and then accepted into the world of baseball. All of these players, although they were not liked at the time, have gone down in history as some of the best baseball players in history and are certainly well known.

    Read More

  • The Negro Leagues:History and Baseball

    2781 Words  | 6 Pages

    "Over the decades, African American teams played 445-recorded games against white teams, winning sixty-one percent of them." (Conrads, pg.8) The Negro Leagues were an alternative baseball group for African American baseball player that were denied the right to play with the white baseball payers in the Major League Baseball Association. In 1920, the first African American League was formed, and that paved the way for numerous African American innovation and movements. Fences, and Jackie Robinson: The Biography, raises consciousness about the baseball players that have been overlooked, and the struggle they had to endure simply because of their color.

    Read More

  • The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    2179 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...u're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life." "I don't think that I or any other Negro, as an American citizen, should have to ask for anything that is rightfully his. We are demanding that we just be given the things that are rightfully ours and we're not looking for anything else." In 1972 Jackie Robinson died but his legacy would always live forever. The effects of Robinson can be seen in any place that you come across like the covers of Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and even the Wall Street Journal. Since Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in 1947 black society in America has truly broken infinite number of barriers. More important than the improvements in the black race, are the improvements in the entire nation that from his accomplishments was now one step closer to equality. (Quotes)

    Read More

  • How Did Leroy Satchel Paigee Influence The Civil Rights Movement

    332 Words  | 1 Pages

    Actions speak volumes louder than words and Leroy Satchel Paige is a man of his actions rather than his words. The Civil Rights Movement was one of the darkest times in American history but there were rays of lights that shined throughout it. Paige was a skilled ball player who used his antics to gain popularity amongst fans and gave him attention from onlookers. Although Paige was a skilled baseball player the racial events that were taking place during his playing time eye opening to say the least. Jim Crow laws were present and effective throughout the South and segregated a potentially great society. Phobia and pure hatred of a race caused many social figures such as Paige to make a stand for African-American rights.

    Read More

  • Brief Summary Of Jackie Jackson's Life Story

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    As time went on, Jackie began to have a great love for sports. He admired basketball, track, football, and of course the wonderful baseball. He did very well in all of these sports and won many trophies. He went on to play football for the Honolulu Bears. After that, he decided to serve his country, and go to war.

    Read More

  • Integration in Major League Baseball

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    When people think of the integration of Major League Baseball, the often remember the name Jackie Robinson. On April 15, 1947, “Jackie Robinson, a black man, played first base for the Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, shattering baseball's age-old color line” (Stewart 49). Robinson was the f...

    Read More

  • Freedom: Jackie Robinson And The Pursuit Of Freedom

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the Collins Dictionary, “freedom” is defined as “the state of being allowed to do what you want to do”(“freedom”). The definition of freedom is simple, but make yourself free is not easy. Concerning about some common cases which will take away your freedom, such as a time-cost high education attainment. In this essay, I shall persuade that everyone should try his or her best to insist on pursuing freedom. For the individual, it appears that only if you have your personal freedom, can you have a dream; for a country, it seems that only if the country is free, can the country develop; for mankind, it looks like that only if people has their own pursuit of freedom, can their thoughts evolve.

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    Theodore Roosevelt once said, “We can have no ’50-50’ allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all.” The question everyone is now asking what is an American? An American is a man who has the dedication to achieve his or her dream no matter the obstacles in their path. The ideal personification of being an American is Jackie Robinson from the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson’s dream was to play professional baseball with white American’s. Though the numerous amount of obstacles that cut short other talented African American’s or discouraged even attempt this dream were disregarded by Robinson, and continued pursue his dream. The mere fact that Jackie Robinson was able to play in the Major League Baseball (MLB) league in 1947 at time where segregation was at its apex was an astonishing accomplishment for African American’s everywhere. After Robinson was signed on with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the true challenge began. Jackie Robinson had to demonstrate himself to everyone he deserved to be on the team. He not only proved himself worthy, but as well earned his teammates respect and friendship over course of his career. All things considered, Jackie Robinson’s dedication, courage, and personality made him the quintessential American.

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson Argumentative Essay

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    A hero is someone who doesn’t give up and keeps on fighting for their goal. Jackie Robinson is a great hero and came over great challenges, but he achieved his goal. How Jackie Robinson embodies the human spirt is that he broke the color barrier, and the challenges he faced, and his life.

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson's Impact on Baseball

    1572 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Jessie Jackson, "A champion wins a World Series or an Olympic event and is hoisted on the shoulders of the fans. A hero carries the people on his shoulders" (Robinson 3). This is what made Jackie Robinson a hero to African-Americans. Robinson's achievement goes beyond the statistics and championships he earned on the field. He opened the door for his entire race to play professional sports and gain acceptance as more desegregation took place. After fighting in World War II from 1941 until 1944, Jackie played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues from 1944 until 1946. In 1946, he was selected as the best person to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

    Read More

  • Racial Discrimination In The Movie 42 By Jackie Robinson

    1638 Words  | 4 Pages

    An African-American man who faced Racism and insult of White people. He was born in Cairo, Georgia. But, because his family were African American, he faced poverty, which cause him to live hard time, during childhood. In 1920, Robinson’s family decided to moveto Pasadena, California. When he went to school, Jackie got a lots of scout by a school coach. In high school, Jackie mastered most of the sports, like baseball, football.etc. After his graduation of his high school, Jackie went college in Pasadena. Two years later, he went to the UCLA. But because of his skin color, professional team didn’t scout him on their team. Also, lots of sports teams were segregated during 1930-1940. In 1941, he left the UCLA and help his mother. However, Jackie has to join army for WWII. After he came back in early 1945, Kansas City Monarchs scouted him, and decided to play baseball as his career. But, Because he didn’t play as professional Baseball player, He had to get use to play. However, Jackie already had all the necessary abilities for baseball. During the season, Boston Redsoxs proposed a contract with him. However, Because of the racism action by white people, the deal failed. Lots of sports teams also tried to transfer African American player to Major league. However he decided transfer to Los angeles Dodgers. During the game(in Dodgers), he had lots of insult by other players. However, he endures the

    Read More

More about Jackie Robinson and the Civil Rights Movement

Open Document