An Analysis of How the Civil Rights Movement Effects Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson may not have been the best baseball player in the history of baseball but he was surly the most important. Without Jackie courage we would not have other great baseball players like: Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, or even Sammy Sosa. I hope in this essay you will get a better understanding for how the civil rights movement effected Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born in 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was a well brought up young man and got good grades.

A little after Jackies father who was a sharecropper left Georgia to be with another woman. when Jackie completed high school the rest of the family moved to Pasadena, California because of finical problems. Jackie attended Pasadena Junior College now known as Pasadena City College.

As an under graduate Jackie excelled in four sports: Football, Track, Baseball, and basketball. The next year at his college he set a National college record in the long jump of 256 1/2.

The UCLA gave Jackie a scholarship to their school to play sports. There he became the first bruin (black) athlete to earn Varsity letters in four sports. Robinson left UCLA in 1941 as a junior to join the army. When Pearl Harbor was bombed Jackie went to fight for his country. he completed officer Candidate school and received commission as a second Lieutenant. Robinson got in trouble for refusing to move to the back of an army bus. Shortly after he received an honorable discharge from the army.

Jackie Robinson decided to play major league baseball so he joined the Negro leagues.

Get quality help now

Writer Lyla

Verified

Proficient in: Baseball

5 (876)

“ Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

He played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs for $400.00 am month. At this time the civil Rights movement was going on and Jackie was right in the middle of it all. Branch Rickey the Brooklyn Dodgers head coach decided to find a black baseball player strong enough to take all the pressure. In 1945 he met Jackie and on April 15 1947 the first black baseball player stepped out on to a field.

That first game every fan in the stadium yelled and booed at him. Remarks were said like nigger, Black scum, and people held signs that said go back to Africa. that did not stop Jackie Robinson that made him want it even more. As a second basemen Jackie would get spiked (when an opponent intently tries to slide spikes up at a player) all the time. In his first season he batted .296 and was voted rookie of the year. In the mean time Rosa Parks began her fight against black segregation on busses. Jackie took Rosa parks protest seriously. After each game Jackie would sit in the front the team bus. Jackie Robinson knew that if the civil rights movement would have not been started yet that he would not be sitting in the bus of a white baseball team. As Jackie once said I know that I am a black man in a white world… I know I never had it made.

When ever there were civil Rights meetings in the city Jackie was in for his baseball games Jackie would go to them and participate in some events. When Jackie would return form such events his teammates would make fun of him or call him names. Some teammates would even spit in his face or refuse to eat with Jackie in the same room. Throughout all this Jackie never once fought back or even said anything mean to anyone. Each day Jackie was said to receive hundreds of hate mail and death threats. Jackie Remained calm and showed up each game even with the death threats. The People did not like Jackie one bit, just because his skin was a darker color than theres. It may sound dumb but it was very real Jackie Robinson was a better player that almost half of the white player in the majors and yet every time he got up to bat he was booed by people from both sides of the team.

Jackie Robinson was joined by another player in the American leagues in 1949. The two players never met each other but they were together in heart.

Jackie Robinsons career lasted for 10 major league seasons and he played in six world series and six-all star games, his career bating average was .311. But all that does not madder what matters is that he lived his life to help others. Jackie Roosevelt Robinson died October, 24, 1972. Jackies tomb stone is made of marble and has the following Quote on his grave. A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.