How Did Jackie Robinson Impact Society

At this time, many whites showed much hatred against blacks and they were separated. Born into segregation, Jackie Robinson grew up in a town called Pasadena, California but he was not just the average African American boy. Jackie was a great baseball player and showed most of his braveness on the field. Despite the challenges, Jackie Robinson inspired the non segregation movement by being the first colored man to play in the MLB. Segregation began when slavery was brought to America.

At first, Jackie was just another black man who was subject to racism; but, he fought that with every ounce of energy he had. Throughout the course of his life and baseball career, he overcame many obstacles, unthinkable to others, and went on to not only gain the respect of blacks and whites; he went on to become one of the greatest and most admired baseball players of all time. In an interview after a game, Branch Rickey was quoted saying “He’s the indispensable man that can carry a team by himself.” Jackie will be remembered for generations to come as a role model to

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 ().

The “Negro Leagues (the generic name for the organized black major leagues from 1920 through the 1940s) also provided opportunities for black players, executives, and towns to thrive in an unequal United States and The Negro Leagues also provided opportunities for civic engagement, serving, for example, as a forum for the civil rights movement” (Zeiler, 6) He had great talent and would soon move on for the Negro League and be scouted out by Rickey. Jackie was seen as a good player who could keep his calm and play the sport he loves. Jackie Robinson told Rickey “ I felt pretty sure I would stay out of rhubarbs [fights] on the field”(Zeiler, 59). His calmness was often put to the test by mainy

Jackie Robinson “When Jackie took the field in 1947, something unusual rose up in all of us. For he’d demonstrated something could he done. Jackie Robinson took courageous steps for all of us. In a world still turns by racial hatred, he symbolizes judging people on merit rather than physical characteristics. His legacy is in hope he offered to millions of black Americans and the enlightenment of others.” Jackie took large steps for not only baseball but for America.

Jackie played ball in the minor league program until finally he was called up to the professionals.Jackie Robinson won many awards, on and off the feild. Jackie Robinson won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 his rookie year. Jackie’s .297 batting average, twelve home runs, and twenty-nine stolen bases lead him to the Rookie of the Year Award(Carson). Jackie was the first African American to play professional baseball despite the color barrier(Kashatus). Jackie was so good that they retired his number from all baseball teams not just one, number fourty two (Kashatus).

Jackie Robinson was the first African American baseball player who changed the history of Major League Baseball in the 20th century. “Jackie Robinson graphically symbolized and personified the challenge to the vicious legacy and ideology of white supremacy in American history.” (Robinson & Duckett 1955) Robinson faced countless amounts of hate from people because he was an African American in an all white Major League Baseball team, but with the fame he received from baseball, he spoke out about the inequality between whites and African Americans because he wanted to bring out to the light to make people aware of what was going on. Jackie Robinson was born in a Cairo, Georgia where his parents were farmers. Father left him when he was just a baby, so it was just his mom, his brothers and sisters. From Georgia, they came to Pasadena, California, where they were the only African American family in the community.

In the midst of such widespread racial inequality, Robinson’s contract with the Dodgers was a monumental step towards desegregation in the United States. Long before Robinson joined major league baseball, civil rights groups had been rallying for the integration of the sport. Politicians such as Boston councilman Isadore Muchnick and New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia paved the way for Robinson’s signing with the Dodgers by organizing committees and rallies to push teams to sign African American players. When Branch Rickey, owner of the Dodgers, asked Robinson to break American baseball apartheid, he was aware of Robinson’s strong political opinions and opposition to segregation. A former second lieutenant, Robinson had been court martialed for insubordination when he refused to move to the back of an army bus.

He influenced every African American that has played a professional sport after him. Robinson didn 't only changed baseball and all sports, but he changed America. His life and baseball career changed the way the country looks at things. Baseball is sometimes known as “The American Pastime”. Its called this because it has been such a popular sport in America for so

As he said in his autobiography, “It would be the first time that a black man would be allowed to participate in a world series”. That was one of his turning points that changed his country because he broke the law that blacks could not play in the major leagues. Another turning point for him is that once he started playing baseball people did not like him but soon people started to like him and notice he was a good ball player, but it took a while for people to start to like him. Turning points can be fantastic things and horrible things.