Jackie Robinson and His Impact on the Civil Rights Movement
Mailey Lorio
Ms. Bowman and Ms. Schellhous
American Studies
20 December 2013
Jackie Robinson and His Impact on the Civil Rights Movement
Baseball has always been more than just a sport to the American people. For many, it is a way of life, teaching not just brute skills but life lessons and morals. In the wake of World War I, racism and bigotry abounded in the United States. Even though the integration of schools had recently been instated, Jim Crow laws severely limited the activity of African Americans in society, resulting in baseball teams being limited to whites. Jackie Robinson made an important step in gaining rights for African Americans when he broke the color barrier of baseball in 1947. He did this by making civil rights his ambition even before the protests began (Coombs 117). Jackie Robinson’s fame as a baseball player and determination to defeat adversity transformed him into an inspirational figure for those involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born the youngest of Jerry and Mallie Robinson in Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. However, after the spring of 1920, the Robinsons moved to Pasadena, California, and it was here that Jackie Robinson grew up, learned to stand up for himself, and cultivated his abolitionist attitude (Coombs 11-13). According to Mike Gimbel, author of “Jackie Robinson’s Historic Impact,” Pasadena was a town “so racist that it took until 1997 to officially acknowledge [Robinson’s] accomplishments” (Gimbel). This blatant racism made growing up hard for the young athlete. Children would throw taunts as well as stones at Robinson, but he soon learned to stand up to his white aggressors, a characteristic that would define him for his entire professional career (Coombs 11-13). Robinson’s other defining characteristic, his athleticism, displayed itself considerably early in his life, with Robinson excelling in every sport, even during elementary school. While attending John Muir Technical
Ms. Bowman and Ms. Schellhous
American Studies
20 December 2013
Jackie Robinson and His Impact on the Civil Rights Movement
Baseball has always been more than just a sport to the American people. For many, it is a way of life, teaching not just brute skills but life lessons and morals. In the wake of World War I, racism and bigotry abounded in the United States. Even though the integration of schools had recently been instated, Jim Crow laws severely limited the activity of African Americans in society, resulting in baseball teams being limited to whites. Jackie Robinson made an important step in gaining rights for African Americans when he broke the color barrier of baseball in 1947. He did this by making civil rights his ambition even before the protests began (Coombs 117). Jackie Robinson’s fame as a baseball player and determination to defeat adversity transformed him into an inspirational figure for those involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born the youngest of Jerry and Mallie Robinson in Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. However, after the spring of 1920, the Robinsons moved to Pasadena, California, and it was here that Jackie Robinson grew up, learned to stand up for himself, and cultivated his abolitionist attitude (Coombs 11-13). According to Mike Gimbel, author of “Jackie Robinson’s Historic Impact,” Pasadena was a town “so racist that it took until 1997 to officially acknowledge [Robinson’s] accomplishments” (Gimbel). This blatant racism made growing up hard for the young athlete. Children would throw taunts as well as stones at Robinson, but he soon learned to stand up to his white aggressors, a characteristic that would define him for his entire professional career (Coombs 11-13). Robinson’s other defining characteristic, his athleticism, displayed itself considerably early in his life, with Robinson excelling in every sport, even during elementary school. While attending John Muir Technical
Cited: African American Biographies. Ed. Sally MacEachern. Vol 8. Danbury, Connecticut: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006. Print. Coombs, Karen Mueller. Jackie Robinson: Baseball’s Civil Rights Legend. Springfield: Enslow Publishers, Inc. 1997. Print. Gimbel, Mike. “Jackie Robinson’s Historic Impact.” workers.org. Workers World, 10 April 1997. Web. 23 November 2013. Goldstein, Richard. “Jackie Robinson: Brooklyn Dodgers Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer.” The New York Times. nytimes, 13 April 2007. Web. 23 November 2013.