Jackie Robinson Research Paper

Jackie Robinson grew up in poverty and with racial prejudice, but still managed to make the best of it. Robinson, born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919, was a grandson to a slave. His family lived on a plantation until Robinson’s dad ran away with the neighbors wife and the owner ordered them off the land (Jackie 1). These early events helped Robinson to be strong and loyal. His family moved to California and found that it was hard living as the only black family on their street. Over time, Robinson realized that he could gain acceptance through athleticism and that on the field, white boys counted him as their equal (Jackie 1). In the rare moments that he felt equal, he was encouraged to continue playing sports. In California, Robinson

When Robinson was agreeing to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson said, “Mr. Rickey, what do you want? Do you want a ballplayer who is afraid to fight back?” and Rickey responded by saying, “I want a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back” (Jackie 3). This quote shows how Mr. Rickey influenced Robinson’s character. Even though Robinson wanted to fight back, Mr. Rickey persuaded him to prove to those who thought he would never make it in baseball wrong. After Robinson was honorable discharged from the US Army, he signed to play with the Montreal Royals, an all white farm team. On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier by taking the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers (Jackie 1). Playing as the only non-white baseball player was undoubtedly difficult, but by playing well and not fighting back he made it into Major League Baseball. By doing this, he changed not only the face of baseball, but the face of the United States. Throughout his career, Robinson win the MVP award for the International League and the National League and also won Rookie of the Year in 1949 (Jackie 1). While Robinson’s baseball career was outstanding he also had a lot to do with the Civil Rights Movement. His patience and hard-working mentality made him similar to Martin Luther King Jr. After baseball, Robinson marched with MLK Jr. in Birmingham, Alabama and raised funds for the NAACP’s “Freedom Fund Drive”

He met his wife, Rachel Isum, at UCLA and he married her in February of 1946 (Jackie 1). He met and married his wife before he was a star. Isum most likely had the same views as Robinson. Robinson and Isum had three children, their oldest was named Jackie Robinson Jr. Robinson Jr. died in a car crash in 1971 (Jackie 5). Robinson grew up and became the father that his was not, and with the money that comes with professional baseball, they probably lived comfortably. Towards the end of Robinson’s career he was struggling with diabetes and after being traded to the rival New York Giants at the end of the 1956 season, he decided to retire, in 1962 (Jackie 4-5). This was a big decision, because what if people forgot all about civil rights for African Americans? Or what if all the progress that had been made in the fifteen years Robinson played Major League Baseball was for nothing? After retiring Robinson was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame (Jackie 5). Retiring may have been hard for Robinson, but he will be remembered for a long time. Ten years later, “Disabled by diabetes that impeded his mobility and nearly blinded him, Robinson died on October 24, 1972, in Stamford, Connecticut”, about 2,500 people showed up for his funeral (Jackie 5). Jackie Robinson was a very influential baseball player and man, who had great skill, courage, and character. He will be known forever as the man broke