Jack Roosevelt Robinson Known as Jackie Robinson

Jackie’s early years Jackie was born in Cairo, GA in 1919 and grew up in Pasadena, California His single mother, Mallie Robinson, raised him and his four siblings Being the only black family on the block, they encountered much prejudice which made Jackie strive for the best in his life

Jackie’s early years Robinson attended UCLA and became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four different sports: baseball, basketball, football and track Not being able to afford college anymore Jackie was forced to leave early

Jackie’s early years He decided to join the army and after two years he was brought up on charges of insubordination because he refused to ride on the back of the bus He was acquitted and left with an honorable discharge he then started to play baseball in the Negro Baseball League He played one season with the Kansas City Monarchs before being contacted by Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey

Brooklyn Dodgers To ensure the acceptance of Robinson, Rickey made him promise for three years to not respond to the insults that came at him from fans around the league and the opposing team Sports Illustrated ‘s Bill Nack wrote “Robinson was the target of racial epithets and flying cleats, of hate letters and death threats, of pitchers throwing at his head and catchers spitting on his shoes.”

Brooklyn Dodgers In 1947 Robinson played in his first Major League game and Pete Levine wrote “It represented both the dream and the fear of equal opportunity, and it would change forever the complexion of the game and the attitudes of Americans.” In his first major-league season he added excitement to the game with his ability to steal bases, he even stole home often which is unheard of in today's game

Brooklyn Dodgers Despite the hatred the fans had for him they couldn’t help but watch him carefully whenever he reached base With his speed and will to play as hard as he could he became the rookie of the year and lead the league in steals all while helping the Dodger’s reach the World Series

Brooklyn Dodgers In 1949 Robinson had his best season with career highs in batting average (.342), runs batted in (124), and in stolen bases (37), he also earned the MVP award Jackie spent 10 seasons with the Dodgers and made 6 World Series appearances, including Brooklyn’s one and only championship title in 1955 In 1962, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first black player to be so honored

Jackie’s Legacy Jackie is the only player to have his number (42) retired by every baseball team in the MLB, and since 2009 on April 15th every player is allowed to wear the number 42 in his honor because on this day in 1947 the color barrier was officially broken In the first year more than 330 players and staff members wore his number, and in the later years the commissioner requested that all on-field personnel wear the number as a sign of unified, league-wide recognition He has been honored on April 15th every year since 2004 for his determination of breaking the color barrier

Jackie Changes Conversations Due to Robinson’s success, other teams started to acknowledge that he gave the Dodgers a real edge and started signing and playing black players themselves When he was done with baseball he didn’t stop fighting for racial equality, he spoke up for civil rights and the leading men of organizations in the movement Robinson also served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Jackie Changes Conversations “I’ve often said that it changed baseball, but it also changed the country and eventually changed the world…Jackie made it easier for Rosa Parks. He made it easier for Martin Luther King Jr. And he made it easier for any black leader who was going to strive for racial equality. It basically changed the attitude of the whole country as far as looking at blacks” -Jackie’s teammate Ralph Blanca

How Jackie has affected me Jackie Robinson has affected a countless number of people, including myself. He made baseball into what it is today, a multi-racial sport. Now baseball is comprised of mainly foreign players who before never had a chance to play in the MLB. I played baseball my entire life and never with or against an all white team which to me is a very good thing. It challenged everyone to play their best in order to get playing time. I really appreciate his actions because they have affected my life so much.

How Jackie has affected me Robinson gets most of his praise because of what he did to the game of baseball. The truth is not a lot of people know how involved he was in the civil rights movement, including me. This is important to every citizen of the United States of America because he contributed to the relationships we now have with other races. I believe if it wasn’t for Jackie, life would be a lot different and in my every day life I can see what he has helped change. From segregated schools to all the rights different races have.

Jackie Robinson In 1972, Jackie Robinson suffered from a heart attack and died at age 53 He not only changed the game of baseball forever and how we see it, he also changed the lives of many African-Americans in his attempts to get equal civil rights

"We ask for nothing special "We ask for nothing special. We ask only to be permitted to live as you live, and as our nation's Constitution provides." http://vimeo.com/5283826

Works Cited Heyman, Brian. "Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Color Barrier." www.america.gov. N.p., 29/12/2008. Web. 26 Oct 2011. <http://www.america.gov/st/peopleplace-english/2008/December/20090106142542jmnamdeirf0.8552515.html>. "Jackie Robinson Biography." http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/bio.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct 2011. <http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/bio.html>. Schwartz, Larry. "Jackie changed face of sports." www.espn.com. ESPN, n.d. Web. 26 Oct 2011. <http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016431.html>.