Brandon Pasley
Mrs. Dwiggins
Computers 1
September 11, 2014
Jackie Robinson: The Man That Broke The Color Barrier
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of
five children. In May 1920 the Robinsons moved all the way to Los Angeles, California.
Robinson was raised in a relatively poor family and attended John Muir High School, Pasadena
Junior College, and UCLA. In 1941 he attended UCLA where he was an exceptional athlete
showing so by lettering in four sports in the same year in baseball, basketball, football, and track.
First to do that in UCLA history. Also in 1941 Jackie had to drop out of UCLA just short of
graduation due to financial difficulties. Then, he moved to Honolulu,
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With his flawless reputation and help from
some friends and family, all charges were lifted and he was then honored with an honorable
discharge. After serving in the army he started playing professional baseball. At the time the game
was still segregated. Robinson started in the Negro League, but was soon chosen by Branch
Rickey to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers organization was an all-white team until
Robinson moved to Florida and played in spring training for the Montreal Royals (The Minor
League correspondent of the Brooklyn Dodgers.) Then, on April 14, 1947 the color barrier was
broken because Jackie Robinson stepped on Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. It wasn’t all
easy from there though, he dealt with discrimination, racism and even received threats. During that
first year of playing Jackie had a .349 batting average and a .985 fielding percentage which
ultimately led him to getting called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers. That caused an uproar. Teams
said they would refuse to play the Dodgers and even Jackie’s own teammates said they might sit
out just because of the color of his skin. However, Jackie put all the discrimination aside and hit
The players are not going to be very happy with this situation either. Some of the players started a petition, saying that they would not play if the “black baseball player” was on the field. The coach talked some sense into them, saying that it doesn’t matter what color he is, just how well he plays. Most of the men accepted Jackie, but others still didn’t work well with him. Since the players wouldn’t work with him, THEY were the ones that got traded.
A. Jack Roosevelt Robinson (also known as Jackie Robinson) was the first african american to play in the MLB. Also a World War II veteran, husband and father of three.
The differences between black and white players has been going on for a long time since the early 1920’s. The players have always been at each other since the Negro Leagues have been around. There were two players that made the transition from the Negro Leagues to the Majors and those players were Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson. Most people know of Robinson more than Paige because of the Brooklyn Dodgers recruiting him from Kansas City Monarchs. Satchel Paige was a pitcher from the Kansas City Monarchs like Robinson but he was recruited to the Cleveland Indians at the time.
Soon Jackie Robinson proved himself worthy of playing for the Dodgers. He had to adjust to some new trials and always remember to not show emotion. Jackie had to learn play first base instead of short stop because that was the teams strong point in Peewee Reese. He also could not react to anything. Teammates, other players, and fans will greatly test him, but he must be strong.
“In 1946, there were sixteen Major League Baseball teams, with a total of 400 players on their rosters, every one of the players was white. But when opening day came in 1947, that number dropped to 399, and one man stood apart. (42 2:30)” Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Making Jackie Robinson the first African-American to play Major League Baseball (MLB). Jackie’s transition from the Negro Leagues to MLB was not an easy one. As a player, he transitioned very well, but it was Robinson’s teammates, Dodgers fans, the opposing teams and their fans that tested Jackie every chance they got, some hotels even prohibited the Dodgers to stay in their establishments
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.
In 1947 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers desperately wanted Robinson to play for him and his team. He would become the first black MLB player since 1889 when baseball became discriminated. In his first year he was the Rookie of the Year. He debuted in the International League with the Montreal Royals. This the led to Branch’s interest in Robinson since he was considered one of the best players in the International League and considering it was his first time playing with white men.
Jackie Robinson changed baseball in America in the 1940s by breaking the segregation barrier that was bestowed on baseball. Robinson played in the Negro League for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1945 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers negotiated a contract with Robinson that would bring Robinson into the major leagues in 1947. Baseball was segregated because of racial intolerance, economic factors, and other complex reasons. The major leagues would rent out their stadiums to the Negro League teams when their own team would be on the road. For example, if the Brooklyn Dodgers were on the road they would rent out their stadium to the Kansas City Monarchs. Major League team owners also knew if they integrated the Majors the Negro League would lose their best players and the Negro League would be lost. Also, the Majors would lose significant revenue.
Jackie played baseball in 1944 for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League where he caught the eye of Clyde Sukeforth, a scout working for Branch Rickey.
For a long time, it was assumed that blacks were not allowed to play in the Major Leagues simply because they had not for so long. When Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the commissioner of baseball at the time, declared that there was no rule preventing integration of the Major Leagues, the idea of an African-American joining the league was realized for the first time by a lot of people. In 1943, Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time, had an idea though to be outrageous by many during that period. He considered signing some black players to make up for the wartime shortage of talent. He narrowed down the list of prospects, searching for the best player to integrate baseball. The likely choices for talent would have been Satchel Paige or Josh Gibson. Rickey, however, wanted not only a star but a person who could deal with the harassment from the public, some teammates, and the overall opposition. Knowing of Jackie's talent and his hate for segregation, Rickey set up an interview hoping he could convince Robinson to sign a contract. When Rickey told Robinson why he had been brought to see him, Jackie's reaction was a combination of several emotions. "I was thrilled, scared, and excited.
Before the Dodger manager scouted Jackie, he had to ask Jackie to endure racism during the game and in his team. And he decided to just ignore the insult. And last, he became the players for the Dodgers. He was the only African American baseball player in Major League. Because he was black, most of the teammates were not supportive. After the spring training, Jackie advances to the Dodgers. Because of the racism, most of the team member signs that refuse to play baseball with Jackie, but Leo Durocher, manager, insist Jackie will play in the main team. But when manager suspended, New manager(Burt Shotton) came. During the game of Philadelphia phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, Ben Chapman jeered Jackie, caused him to break his bat(because of anger). But with Rickey’s encouragement, he played well during that game. When the game was ended, the action of Chapman created the bad press to the team, causing him to pose with him (for newspaper and magazine). After his teammates Pee Wee Reese, understood the pressure that Jackie’s facing, they had match with Pittsburgh pirates. Rickey hit a homerun against the pitcher(Fritz Ostermueller), who hit him in the head. This Home run boost their team to the world series. However, they lost to New
After his departure from the Army he joined the Kansas City Monarchs, an all African-American baseball team, of the Negro League. Due to low pay and constant traveling, he decided he did not want to make baseball a career although he was one of the top players. Until 1947 only white players were allowed in Major League Baseball but in 1945 Clyde Sukeforth, a scout for Branch Rickey who was the Brooklyn Dodgers club president, had been looking for an African-American player and was watching Jackie for a while.
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.
...as handled by his courage were the first few years he was signed on to the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the interview between Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey, Dodgers president, said to Robinson:
He served as an athletic director. Afterward, he played baseball for a professional African-American team. With him joining the team it caused, him to be away from his college sweetheart, Rachel. Then one day, Brooklyn Dodgers scout Clyde invites him to meet Branch Rickey, president of the Major-League Baseball team. At first, Robinson considers the offer to be a practical joke, as African Americans are not allowed to play in the segregated major leagues. When he was convinced that the opportunity is genuine, he and Rickey size each other up. After thinking over Rickey’s warning about the hatred and abuse he would have to endure without being able to strike back. Robinson signs with the Dodgers/ The Montreal Royals. Though he wants to hold off from marrying Rachel to shield her. She insists in an immediate wedding, so she can support her man in the trying times ahead. Robinson leads the league in hitting in his first year, and despite the grave concerns expressed by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Rickey goes ahead and promotes the Dodgers. Reviled at first, by many of the fans and some of his own teammates, Robinson gets off to a shaky start. He played out of position at first base and going through a hitting slump, but then gradually wins people over with his talent and determination. The team goes on winning the pennant. Robinson driving in the tying run and scoring the winning one in the deciding game.