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Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born the grandson of a slave on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. His parents Jerry and Male Robinson were a plantation laborer and a housekeeper. Robinson was the youngest of 5 children, and at the age of 6 months, his father Jerry, abandoned the family, leaving his mother with a huge responsibility. Robinson and his family were moved to California with their mother so she could search for work. At the time, California was a place where segregation existed, but wasnt as strong as it was in the South. Robinsons experiences with prejudice didnt turn him cold.
He didnt hold onto his anger, he found a way to get over it by playing sports. Jackie Robinson was excellent with sports in high school, playing football, basketball, baseball and track. He attended Pasadena Junior College, helping them win the Junior College Football Championship and later took his athletic talents to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) where he became a top collegiate in 1939. Robinson didnt finish his full college term. He left before his graduation because his athletic eligibility was used up. After college, he took a job with the National Youth Administration until the camp was closed due to World War II.
In the fall of 1941, Jackie Robinson played professional football with the Honolulu Bears. In 1942, he departed from this team because he was drafted by the U. S. Army to serve during World War II. Robinson was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. He worked with the great boxing champion, Joe Louis to try to achieve equality in the military.
Inequality remained for years to come in the military. In 1945, Jackie Robinson was discharged from the Army, because his knees were weakened by football play. After his Army discharge, he played baseball with the Kansas City Monarchs, a team from the Negro League in 1945. It is said that Robinson only made $ 400 a month. Robinson was one of the leagues top players, but he didnt get an adequate amount of pay, traveled a lot, and didnt intend on making a career in baseball. After a meeting with Branch Rickey, the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he changed his mind about baseball.
On October 23 rd, 1945, Robinson signed to play for one of the Brooklyn Dodgers farm teams, the Montreal Royals, part of the International League. Because of this integration, the sports media and team owners were angered, they believed that this action would terminate major league baseball. This didnt stop Jackie from performing in the major leagues. He would soon lead the Dodgers to victory, MAJOR League victory.
In 1947, (after he became the first black MLB player) racism was a part of baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals threatened to go on strike due to Robinsons arrival in the major leagues, but when National League president Ford Frick stepped-up and said that he would ban all strikers from professional baseball, they backed down. Robinson underwent many cruel actions while in MLB. Pitchers would throw the ball directly at him, base runners would try to spike him with the spikes of their shoes, and a continuous flow of racial insults were directed at him. Even worse, he received death threats, hate mail, and warnings that his baby boy Jackie Jr.
would be kidnapped. But, through all the negativity, he didnt retaliate. He played the game and his skills blossomed. Jackie became so well known that both blacks and whites were coming to see his performances. People wanted to see him stealing bases, and the excitement he caused. The Brooklyn Dodgers set new attendance records due to Jackie Robinsons talents.
Robinson was named Rookie of the Year. During the next season, he decided that he wouldnt go on without retaliating to the negative behavior he had to put up with, so hed bellow out at the other players and umpires who did negative things to him. His expressions of anger didnt halt his success. Jackie Robinsons skills continually improved, and thanks to his exploits, he received a batting title and the Most Valuable Player award in 1949. By this time, Robinson was a world famous figure. For six consecutive seasons, Jackie Robinson hit over a. 300 batting average, and was famed for his miraculous home runs.
In 1951, the team president, Branch Rickey, was replaced by Walter O? Malley, which left Robinson a little worried because O Malley didnt tolerate civil rights acts like Branch Rickey. Changes would soon take place both on and off the field. The mid- 1950 s were the worst part of Jackie Robinsons career, his batting average plummeted.
He ended his career with 19 career steals and a. 311 career average. In 1957, Jack Roosevelt Robinson announced his retirement. His health plummeted, leaving him blind in one eye and partially blind in the other. He became a businessman, a vice president in the Chock Full Out restaurant chain, chairman of the board of the Freedom National Bank, and had gotten involved in politics. Jackie Robinson once worked for Richard Nixon in a presidential campaign because he thought Nixon was a supporter of black issues. In 1962, the Baseball Hall of Fame called for his induction.
In 1965, former Dodger president, Brach Rickey died, and in 1971, his son, Jackie Jr. died in a car accident. In 1974, Jackie Robinson became the first black MLB manager. He managed the Cleveland Indians. After a life full of ups and downs, fame and fortune, and suffering a heart attack, on October 24, 1972, Jack Roosevelt Robinson succumbed. For his interment, he was layed in Dodger home, Brooklyn, New York.
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Research essay sample on World War Ii Jackie Robinson
