Jackie Robinson Research Papers

For most people, Jackie Robinson is a household name. Many people know who he was, and admire him for the roles he played in the integration of African American and White men in both major and minor league baseball. Robinson became the first African American man to play major league baseball when he signed to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and within his decade long career he faced hardships while attempting to demolish the fifty years of Segregation in the United States also known as the “color barrier.” From the beginning of his career, to the end of his life, Robinson stood for the equality of all races in all aspects and locations. He became known as a civil rights advocate because of his efforts and accomplishments towards civil

Not only that but he had to bear the “daily, bloody trial of standing up to bean balls and cleats launched into his shins, chest and chin, and the race-biting taunts raining down from the stands, along with trash, tomatoes, rocks, watermelon slices, and Sambo dolls” that would be thrown at him (Simon). Robinson faced both verbal and physical attacks because of his race despite his incredible competence at the sport. He suffered abuse from baseball fans, his teammates, and the men that he was to play against. It was said in his contract that Robinson was to stay in a hotel separate from his teammates and that he was the “turn the other cheek” to all of the misuse that he was treated to. Despite this, Robinson revolutionized the world of baseball. He won the rookie of the year award in 1947 and then just two years later in 1949 he was awarded

In 1957- the same year he retired- “Robinson joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and became the chairman of the Freedom Fund drive that would later raise more than a million dollars” (Anderson). This money went towards bringing change in areas such as education, transportation, and any other aspect of American life where African American people were treated unfairly. Robinson corresponded with many people, including Presidents, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, as well as becoming friends and confidents with Martin Luther King, Jr. Robinson participated in multiple marches, rallies, and protests including the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King, Jr. made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Robinson had a dream of seeing a black manager or coach in the major league. He was offered to play in an Old-Timers game and to throw the first pitch in the 1972 World Series, and refused both because there was not a black manager or coach. Because of his persistence, a black manager was finally hired in 1975. Robinson’s dream was finally realized, but not until after he had died in 1972. Jackie Robinson worked tirelessly to create and promote equality and end discrimination between black and white people and did so until his