Ramirez 1 Liliana Ramirez
Mrs. Harlow
English 9 Regents Period 9
3 March 2017
Term Paper
As Jackie Robinson once said, “ A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”(Hall of famers). Segregation in the United States started in 1896 when the Supreme court lawed that all blacks and whites had to stay apart. It wasn’t until 1964 when segregation ended and everyone was supposed to be treated equal. Although blacks weren’t treated as fair as whites and they couldn’t do what whites did even when they were free, Jackie Robinson was not only a great athlete but broke the mold and made it so that he was the first black man ever to play baseball on an all white team.
Jackie Robinson was born January 31, 1919,
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in Cairo Georgia. Robinson was the youngest out of five children and lived in poverty with his single mother. Jackie Robinson was also the grandson of a slave. When Jackie was six months old his father left him and his family causing Jackie’s mom, Mallie Robinson, to move to California(enotes). Although Jackie’s mom was very poor, she managed to buy a house in an all white neighborhood. As the only black family on the street, the children were singled out to be the troublemakers. Neighbors would fill out false reports claiming the boys would throw rocks to vandalize houses. Living there was tough but they managed to get through it all. Growing up he was an excellent student and athlete. Robinson played football, track, baseball, tennis and basketball. Jackie managed to get four varsity letters for all four sports and went to the University of California, Los Angeles also known as UCLA. Ramirez 2 Jackie Robinson had many important accomplishments. The major accomplishment of Jackie was when he was the first ever black man to play for an all white American league. He was the main reason for the sports barrier being broken. “Through his leadership, skill and courage, Jackie Robinson broke barriers in sports, media and business, impacting our entire society and helping to set the stage for the modern civil rights movement. For more than 42 years, the Jackie Robinson Foundation has continued Robinson’s commitment to equal opportunity by addressing the achievement gap in higher education, and is poised to expand his rich legacy by building the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York City”(JRF). Jackie started a foundation for people so they could go to college and become successful. Before Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play baseball in Major League Baseball, he was a second lieutenant in the United States Army, having joined in 1942. He was discharged in 1944 and began playing professional baseball around that time(bio). When people heard about Jackie Robinson getting drafted to the Dodgers, they were upset. Jackie Robinson started to face a lot of segregation from the people and he received racial comments. Jackie even got death threats and towards him they would say they were going to kill him if he ever stepped foot on a the whites ball field. Jackie Robinson had a lot of great characteristics towards his name. He was one of the most athletic kids at his schools. Through all the fame, Jackie showed he had a high temper. “When fans tried to threaten him and his family, he would just ignore them which took a lot of discipline”(little hand). The discipline helped him stay calm and not fight back against fans. Others may not know but Jackie Robinson was good at other sports too. He played as a pro athlete for football for the Honolulu Bears and the Los Angeles Bulldogs, and constantly had an interest in other sports right up until the start of his Major League Baseball career. Jackie Robinson’s teammates, when he was on the Dodgers, signed a Ramirez 3 petition to get him off the team because they believed he couldn’t play on the same field as them. Another unknown fact about Robinson was that 25 days before he was born, President Roosevelt passed away and Jackie’s mom gave him the middle name Roosevelt. One of the most crucial moments in Jackie Robinson’s life was when he refused to give up his seat to a light skin women on the bus.
“On July 6, 1944, Robinson was riding a bus on the base and sitting next to a fellow officer’s light-skinned wife. The driver instructed Robinson to move to a seat farther back. Robinson argued with him, and when he got off at his stop, the bus dispatcher joined in the altercation”(Weblog). Robinson and other blacks were segregated as people. When Robinson started to stand up for what he believed in to become equal, he motivated blacks to achieve what they want and to stick up for themselves. He was also the face of the Civil Rights Movement, the Civil Rights Movement was a "freedom struggle" by African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s to gain equality. Jackie Robinson was most known for breaking the color barrier, making this another reason why he was an inspiration. After Jackie retired, on July 23, 1962, Jackie Robinson is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New …show more content…
York. After many great seasons with Jackie, it had to come to an end. “After retiring from sports, he took a job with the coffee shop chain Chock Full o’ Nuts and became the first black vice president of a major American corporation. In 1965, he made history again when he joined ABC-TV Sports as the nation’s first black baseball announcer”(history). He also traveled around the country to be the spoke’s person and movements person for all the African Americans. When Robinson also traveled, he made money so that he could spend it on building new churches that were burned down when people were protesting(column). On October 24, 1972, Jackie Robinson passed away. The passing of Jackie Ramirez 4 Robinson was devastating to many and it was all because he suffered from a heart attack. Jackie lived on to be 52 years old and his name still lives today. Jackie Robinson had a positive impact on society.
He showed people that with patience and courage, time will change for the better. Jackie didn’t do anything wrong in society besides wanting to play baseball and change everyone for the better. Jackie still has an impact even though he passed away. He shows people that it doesn’t matter if you are black, white, yellow, orange, tan, or any skin color. Jackie shows a lot of love through his foundations. “After his death, his wife established the Jackie Robinson Foundation dedicated to his life and work. The foundation helps young people in need by providing scholarships and mentoring programs”(bio). Jackie shows that if they put their mind and head towards what they want to do in life, they could achieve
it. It is possible to reach your goals without focusing on the color of your skin. When segregation ended, it gave hope to the people. The one thing that stood out the most about Robinson was that even today he was still able to have impacts on people and have a 40 yr foundation with his now 90 year old wife. If Jackie were still alive I would ask him how it felt to be able to have an impact by playing baseball as his career. Works Cited Jackie Robinson Foundation. Web. 06 Mar. 2017. Andrews, Evan. "11 Things You May Not Know About Jackie Robinson." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2017. "Jackie Robinson." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.` Long, Michael G. "Robinson's Life beyond Baseball: Column." USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, 12 Apr. 2013. Web. 06 Mar. 2017. "Remembering Jackie." Baseball Hall of Fame. Web. 06 Mar. 2017. "What Is Jackie Robinson Famous For?" Reference. Web. 06 Mar. 2017. "The Characteristics of Jackie Robinson." Jackie Robinson. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
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.
People might say that Racism is a part of life in history and you have to deal with it, but it fails the support because back in the day, there was a thing called the middle passage and was very harmful. The middle passage was where people chained slaves to the bottom of a ship and barely fed them and they also went to the bathroom on themselves. The theme is racism is not acceptable and can cause a lot of issues between human beings. Jackie Robinson was a person who was humble and treated all humankind equally.
Jackie Robinson decided to fight to be the first African American to integrate the Major League Baseball (MLB). His autobiography states he “was forced to live with snubs rebuffs and rejections” ( Robinson). This quote shows that he was treated unfairly and disrespectfully. In Robinson’s autobiography it also states that Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier and created equal oppurtunity proving that a “sport can’t be called national if blacks are barred from it”
... only sports. His controversial first game was a major barrier for black people that he had just broken. At first no white person, except those sympathetic towards blacks, liked the idea of him in baseball and many were willing to do whatever it took to force him out of the league. Jackie was steadfast in not budging and giving to the pressure of fighting back to defend himself. With the help of Branch he could overcome this desire to fight against the people that hated him and wanted him dead and gone. However, after many months of struggling to restrain himself, people began to take his side and root for him. Jackie’s story has inspired many to overcome great obstacles and will continue to do so in the future.
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball. This was not an easy task for him to do. People judged him and didn’t like him by the color of his skin. Jackie Robinson said “The hate mail piled up” (Robinson). That shows that no one cared to give him a chance to play in the Major League. The innocence of young kids had a great inspiration on Jackie Robinson because they didn’t care about his color they just wanted him to play good. Jackie Robinson was “proud to be a part of a significant breakthrough” (Robinson) in breaking the color barrier. Even though Jackie Robinson has been through
Jackie Robinson changed the way baseball is looked at by Americans. Also, he broke a huge barrier in American History. Robinson helped get rid of segregation. He also, is down as one on of the most respected men in baseball history. Not only a wonderful ball player, but also a wonderful man who went through so much and helped create a path for current and future African American baseball players.
Although Jackie Robinson was not the best African-American baseball player of his time, his attitude and ability to handle racist harassment led the way for the rest of his race to play Major League Baseball, amongst other sports. Being accepted into professional sports also helped African-Americans become more easily accepted into other aspects of life. Jackie's impact in the world for the black population is enormous.
...ame the vice-president for the Chock Full O' Nuts Corporation. He also served on the board of the NAACP. He created the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to build affordable housing for black families that did not have enough money. In the 1970s Jackie Robinson's heath got bad. On Oct. 15, 1972, he attended a World Series game in Cincinnati that celebrated the 25th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. During pre-game ceremonies he said how he wanted to have a black manager to be hired for a team in major league baseball. Ten days later after the World Series game, Jackie Robinson died of a heart attack at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. Jackie will be remembered for his courage, determination, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and his excellence. He is an inspiration for many people that have a dream.
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 member of the NAACP and helped recruit members because of his fame from baseball. Jackie had leadership qualities and the courage to fight for his beliefs. Unwilling to accept the racism he had run into all his life, he had a strong need to be accepted at his true worth as a first-class citizen. Robinson was someone who would work for a cause - that of blacks and of America - as well as for himself and his team.
Jackie Robinson’s ability to successfully integrate his sport set the stage for many others to advocate for an end to segregation in their respective environments. His period of trials and triumphs were significant to changing American perception of the Civil Rights revolution. By becoming the first African-American baseball player to play in the major leagues, he brought down an old misconception that black athletes were inferior to white athletes. Successively, his example would inspire those advocating for their civil rights, he lived out a message of nonviolence similar to the one Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived out. Despite the constant prejudice he faced in his sport, he was able to keep himself composed and never retaliate.
Jackie Robinson was the first black major league baseball player. Most people know this, but they don’t realize how much of an impact he actually had. He did so much more outside of baseball. Jackie, like Rosa Parks, refused to give up his bus seat when he was in the army. He gave inspiration to many people of color in the United States.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” Jackie Robinson went through many struggles from whites, since he was the first black baseball player. Robinson was an excellent ball player who exceeded at every level. He had a magnificent Batting Average and spoke against racism. Robinson played while dealing with threats from fans and other teams.
...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)
... because of his skin color. He overcame these obstacles which eventually led him to become the first African-American professional basketball player. Other examples include the sport legends of Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays, and Jackie Robinson. All of which endured physical and emotional hardships like racial taunts from fans and being unable to stay in certain hotels or eat in many restaurants on the road. Racial equality slowly began to emerge in the mid nineteen hundreds. Legislation passed various acts: Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Fair Housing Act of 1968, which helped ease racial integration of minority groups into white society and provided an equal environment . Stories soon arose of the struggles that minority athletes faced and how they rose to the top, becoming some of the greatest sport legends the United States has to offer.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” -Jackie Robinson. Jackie lived up to his own quote by impacting so many lives. He was the first black professional baseball player, the man who handled racism with dignity and courage, and the man who paved the way for other black athletes that came after. He was the one, chosen out of thousands, because of his courage and skill. Jackie Robinson was the most influential athlete to ever play because of how he helped inspire a race and change the views of the nation.