How Did Jackie Robinson Contribute To Civil Rights

Civil rights has been an American focus since the American Civil War (1861-1865) was fought between the United States and the Confederate States, over the abolition of slavery and continues to be one of the most important movements. Although the Reconstruction Amendments banned slavery, gave former slaves citizenship, equal protection of laws and all men the right to vote, “Jim Crow Laws”, at the state level, enforced racial segregation in the southern states and continued into the mid 1900’s. In the late 1940’s to 1960’s the Civil Rights Movement reemerged. There have been many men, women and Presidents that greatly contributed to the civil rights movement, from Presidents Abraham Lincoln and the 13th Amendment, to Lyndon Johnson’s passing

He was born in the southern state of Georgia in 1919, a time when racial segregation was widely enforced. He was abandoned by his father and raised in a predominately white Californian neighborhood that tried to force his family to move. While serving in the segregated Army, Robinson faced a court martial for refusing to sit in the back of a bus. Robinson was an exceptional athlete in high school and college but financial problems caused his withdrawal. Jobs for black men were scarce in 1945 and Robinson initially played baseball in the arduous Negro leagues. During this time in his life, he was vocal and passionate about racial equality, but on April 15, 1947, his personal courage, perseverance and resolve were tested. The general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers offered him the chance to break the “color barrier” in Major League Baseball, but he had to agree to fight only with his baseball skills and be silent in regard to verbal and physical abuses he would face. Robinson agreed to take this huge risk, knowing that if he could not remain silent, integration of color in the world of sports could be greatly set back. He was chosen for his superior athletic abilities, communication skills and his higher level of education. He immediately receive death threats, was verbally and physically assaulted, was not allowed to stay in the same hotels as the other players and restaurants would not serve

Martin Luther King Junior is probably the most visible and recognized civil rights leader and activist. King was also born in Georgia, in 1929, but a predominately black and more affluent area than Jackie Robinson. He came from a family of ministers, was well-educated man and is best known for advancing the Civil Rights Movement with nonviolence resistance and civil disobedience. His leadership was greatly influenced by his strong Christian beliefs. Dr. King led the first non-violent demonstration for racial equality; the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 (Brinkley 684-685, 704). This boycott lasted 382 days and during this time King was arrested and his home was bombed, yet he had the moral courage to continue peaceful protests and emerge as a nonviolent leader. He became the first president of the Southern Christion Leadership Conference (SCLC), organized nonviolent protests in Birmingham and organizing of the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965. Over a ten year period, King traveled millions of miles, spoke thousands of times, and wrote books and articles on injustice and equality. He was awarded five honorary degrees, named Time magazines Man of the Year and became a world renowned figure and leader. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King Junior was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He exemplified moral courage and remained authentic to his cause even through the risk of physical assaults and imprisonment for speaking out against the government