Jackie Robinson: Major League Baseball

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In the Spring of 1947, Jackie Robinson would be named the first black player in major league baseball, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Until Robinson, the major leagues and the minor leagues were racially segregated. Jackie Robinson broke the color line, first in the minor leagues in 1946 . He then broke the barrier once again one year later, in 1947, when he began his contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was named Rookie of the Year and took home the National League MVP Award in 1949, followed with a world Series Ring in 1955. Jackie Robinson is known as the African American baseball player who changed the very fabric of not only baseball, but acted as a catalyst for change in America as a whole.

After Jackie Robinson was discharged
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Branch Rickey called his move the “greatest baseball experiment”. He knew that the individual would have to be strong, able to stand up to an intensely volatile crowd, and be able to avoid conflicts when they arose. He chose Jackie to be the player to cross the “color line” to integrate baseball(__). Branch Rickey chose Jackie Robinson to be the one to break the color barrier because he knew the Jackie had the strength of character and not just the talent to overcome the taunting and lack of support he would face. Robinson competed in baseball, football, basketball, and track in college. He was also involved in civil rights movements which made him perfect for taking up the new task set ahead of him. Robinson was not left in the dark. He knew what he was getting himself into. He was fully prepared to deal with whatever …show more content…
In 1957, Jackie joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He would also become the chairman of the Freedom Fund and help the organization gain over a million dollars in donations (__). He also worked as an executive for the Chock Full O ' Nuts coffee company and restaurant chain, which would give him the business and management skills he needed to help develop the Freedom National Bank in the 1960s. The bank was based in Harlem, New York and it was the first and only African-American controlled and owned bank. Robinson helped to develop the bank because he believed that all African Americans had the right to receive loans and be treated like white folks were treated in their banks(_). These are only some of the many things Robinson did off the field to improve the lives of

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