“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”- Jackie Robinson. Who else could these words come from? Of course they must come from the man who affected millions with one single life. Of course they must come from the man who proved everyone wrong, and broke down the barriers. Jackie Robinson’s contribution to the civil rights movement made him a true American hero. Through his contributions in the military, his breaking of the color barrier in baseball, and his legacy after his career, Jackie Robinson did what no one else could.
Jackie Robinson enlisted in the United States Army in 1942, where his fight for civil rights began. While the iconic Rosa Parks is known for refusing to give up her seat on a bus, Jackie Robinson did a similar thing while serving in the Army. “While Robinson was preparing to be sent overseas, he was court martialed for insubordination for refusing to sit at the back of the bus.” This refusal is the first documented resistance from Robinson, and it also
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Robinson was signed to a minor league contract and sent to the Dodgers best minor league team, the Montreal Royals (). “Despite objections from every major league team, the commissioner of baseball allowed (Robinson) to play ().” Immediately every team hated the idea of an African American playing in even the minor leagues. Robinson’s struggles were going to be arguably some of the toughest any African American had faced since the abolishing of slavery. Nevertheless, Robinson began his minor league career by impressing everyone- including the Montreal Royals manager, who originally refused to play him. Jackie had four hits in his debut, and was called in 1947, officially breaking the color barrier (). Jackie had opened the door for an entirely new race of people. Robinson’s struggles would only worsen as her entered the major