Jackie Robinson: A Brief Biography

Jackie Robinson was not just a great baseball player, but he was also a great man who had enormous amount of courage and pride. Once Jackie Robinson entered Major League Baseball in April of 1947, he became the first African American to break the so-called color barrier, paved the way for the civil rights movement and also changed the anti-racist struggle. Jackie Robinson was born on January 31 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, who was raised in relative poverty by a single mother. Throughout his life, Jackie attended John Muir HIgh School and Pasadena Junior College, where he became an excellent athlete of our sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball. Jackie continued In 1941, despite his athletic success, Robinson was forced to leave UCLA just shy of graduation due to financial hardship.

When Robinson joined the Royals, even some of his new teammates were outraged at having an African-American on their team. People in the crowds often booed Robinson, and he and his family received death threats. Despite the racial issues, Robinson had an outstanding season with the Royals, leading the league with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage. His successful year with the Royals allowed him to join the Dodgers. Robinson played his first game at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, making history as the first black athlete to play Major League Baseball.

Because of his hardships he made it easier for black people to play major league baseball. Jackie Robinson was born on January 31 1919 in Cairo Georgia. He had 4 siblings and only one parent. His dad left them with their mother. Jackie grew up to excel in 5 sports.

Robinson had a tremendous amount of talent, which didn’t go unnoticed. Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager liked Jackie’s demeanor and style of play. At the time Rickey was looking for someone to integrate baseball, with those kind of qualities, Robinson was the perfect person for the job. He knew that integrating the sport would not be easy but Robinson was up for the challenge and would be able to handle it with no violence. Integration in general had picked up during this time, WWII, people did not believe it was right that African Americans were allowed to die and fight beside that of a White American Soldier but yet weren’t allowed to play a sport with them.

THE LEGACY OF JACKIE ROBINSON Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” Jackie Robinson is an inspiration to so many including the young dreamers. Jackie Robinson is best remembered for his early years, fighting to be one the first African-American to play major league ball, and the dream he left for those to follow. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. Soon after his birth his family moved to an all-white neighborhood, in California.

Robinson was the first African-American baseball player to play in the MLB. While in the MLB Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1959 under many different managers including Branch Rickey. Rickey had been interested in Robinson because of not only his skill but his ability of not to fight back (Rubinstein 20-25). On August 28, 1945, Rickey had a meeting with Robinson and Rickey told Robinson that he would have to deal with the greatest harassment and vituperation any player had ever faced (Rubinstein 20-25). Robinson eventually made his Major League debut on April 15, 1947, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color barrier (Rubinstein

Jackie Robinson was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. He was the first African American to play in the major leagues in the modern era. Jackie Robinson was born January 31, 1919 on a carpet plantation near the town of Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. Not long after Jackie's birth his father, Jerry Robinson, left the family in 1920.

An icon is a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something. This man was not only an Icon in baseball, but a civil rights leader, a father of three, and a role model for all young adults. Jackie Robinson was a small town boy who had big-time dreams. He was from a small city in Georgia and always had outstanding athletic abilities. Not only was Jackie a baseball player, but he also played a major role in breaking the color barrier.

Jackie Robinson is known to be one of the most influential people in baseball and in society. He eternally changed the aspect of American history. It was unusual to have a colored person be treated equally as a white person during the time of the 1900s. He was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 and later moved to Pasadena, California to pursue a better life. He came from a poor family of sharecroppers in the South and was the youngest of five.

October 23, 1945, Jackie Robinson shook hands with Branch Rickey, officially changing baseball and society, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson grew up in a poor household in Pasadena, California. He attended UCLA, making himself a four sport star athlete . Major league baseball had been segregated at the time, with the only black men playing in separate Negro Leagues. Branch Rickey, the owner of the Dodgers, wanted to break the color barrier.

He was a big part in the fight for equal rights. Jackie Robinson took so much abuse on the field because of his race that it gave him mental breakdowns. These breakdowns sometimes took days to recover from but he went through all of that so other people would have better opportunities. But this didn’t just go on for one season, Robinson had to deal with that racism for about two years before he was really accepted as a “respected” baseball player. (Kuhn,web) and (Wilson,web).

Robinson's life was devoted in ending segregation by playing the sport he loved most of all. By overcoming all the challenges on the baseball field from his teammates to the fans in the crowd booing him. He became the face of baseball and the person who changed the game for ever. After baseball he wasn't done there he became a great civil rights leader and helped many African Americans overcome challenges. When the bank was not treating the Africans fairly he stepped in by founding the free national bank which helped a ton of people out and made the bank fair for everyone.

This quote explains his first appearance in the MLB as an African American. Jackie Robinson had his mind set on his goal. He did not give up because he was different. Although he encountered many hardships, he continued to try his hardest and eventually joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. This fits in with what I know because people today are still bashed for their race.

Jackie understood that him playing in the major league was bigger than just him playing baseball. It was a step toward the desegregation of baseball and American society and Robinson knew that. Lots of books have been written about not only Robinson’s time in the league but also many on the impact Robinson had on race relations as well as what this meant for the future of African Americans. Jules Tygiel has written a couple books about Robinson and how he was Baseball’s Great Experiment, however he has recently revisited the topic in 2002. Where he reflects on Robinson, race, and the history of baseball.

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” (Jackie Robinson). Being born to sharecropper parents living in Georgia, Jackie Robinson faced racism and hatred early on. He overcame these adversities and became one of baseball 's most historic players for not only his lightning speed on the field, but his courage to break major league baseball 's color barrier. Jackie Robinson was the most influential sports athlete because he changed American society forever.