Jackie Robinson Short Biography

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Mallie Robinson and Jerry Robinson were his parents. Jackie’s parents worked together as tenant workers on a plantation owned by James Madison Sasser in Grady County. Robinson's parents had a troubled marriage, and when Jerry left his wife and children for another woman, Mallie's relationship with Sasser deteriorated until they were evicted from their cabin and forced to seek work elsewhere. Soon after his dad left, they moved to Pasadena, California. With the help of a family member, Jackie’s mom was able to buy them a house in an all-white neighborhood in Pasadena, California. His mother worked as a house cleaner to support the children, but they stayed poor. Jackie …show more content…
Robinson's older brother, Matthew Robinson, inspired Jackie to pursue his talent and love for athletics. In 1938, Jackie won the Most Valuable Player Award in baseball. His courage and moral objection to segregation were precursors to the impact Robinson would have in major league baseball. During Jackie's time, baseball was segregated, so the African-Americans and whites played separate leagues. In 1944, Jackie began playing baseball professionally. Robinson began playing in the Negro Leagues, but he was soon chosen by Branch Rickey, president of Brooklyn Dodgers, to help integrate major league baseball. Robinson started off playing with the Montreal Royals, which was an all-white farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. When Robinson got signed to the team Rickey knew there would be problems for the young athlete, so he made Jackie promise not to fight back or do anything when he was confronted with racism. Branch Rickey then tested Robinson reactions to racial sayings and insults that he knew the player would experience. The crowds would threaten him and his family at games. Robinson's successful year for the Montreal Royals led to his promotion to join with the Brooklyn