length: 1467 words 4.2 double spaced pages jackie robinson, born jack roosevelt robinson, is known for being the first african american to play in major league baseball. At this time, because it was so hard for african americans in the south, his mother mallie robinson decided to move them to pasadena, california where it was easier for african americans to live and find jobs. He played baseball, basketball, football, and ran track while attending the university of california, los angeles. He was one of the top players on the football team as well as the only athlete to letter in four different sports.

Unfortunately, jackie left college before getting a chance to graduate due to financial problems but not before meeting his future wife rachel. After his departure from ucla he began working for the national youth administration at a work camp but it soon closed down and in 1941 he joined the honolulu bears, a professional football team in honolulu, hawaii. He fought this until he was finally accepted and graduated as a first lieutenant. He was in the army from 1941 until 1944 and was stationed in kansas and fort hood, texas. While stationed in kansas he worked with a boxer named joe louis in order to fight unfair treatment towards african americans in the military and when training in fort hood, texas he refused to go to the back of the public bus and was court martialed for insubordination. Because of this he never made it to europe with his unit and in 1944 he received an honorable discharge.

After his departure from the army he joined the kansas city monarchs, an all african american baseball team. Due to low pay and constant traveling, he decided he did not want to make baseball a career although he was one of the top players. Until 1947 only white players were allowed in major league baseball but in 1945 clyde sukeforth, a scout for branch rickey who was the brooklyn dodgers club president, had been looking for an african american player and was watching jackie for a while. Rickey signed jackie to play for the dodger's minor league team named the montreal royals. Jackie was emotionally tired but he enjoyed and appreciated all the support from the fans in this canadian city because it was so different from the verbal abuse he had before experienced.

Jackie robinson was 27 years old with an extremely bad temper when he finally began playing for the brooklyn dodgers in 1947. He simply asked him to try to control his temper for the first few years and he even called him bad names in which he knew would be yelled jackie's way in order for him understand the kind of abuse he would be facing. With that, jackie robinson agreed and this was the beginning of a very big change in baseball history. He played first base for his entire rookie year but most of his career was spent playing second base. Jackie had so far kept his agreement with rickey until during a game the umpire said to him, go back to the jungle you little nigger! when this caused him to punch the umpire in the face. After this incident many of the dodger players felt uncomfortable playing with jackie and told dodger management that they would rather strike then play with a black man like jackie. This madness ended once management told the players that if they truly felt that way they were more than welcome to look for jobs elsewhere.

In a game with cincinnati, the players started yelling things to jackie and then to pee wee. Pee wee heard one of the players yell, how can you play with this nigger? so pee wee walked over to jackie who was standing at first base, smiled and put his arm around him. The two then became known as a defensive team but of course the harassment did not stop there. Some pitchers threw balls at him sometimes even at his head baserunners attempted to cut him with their cleats.

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One team in particular, the philadelphia phillies, were extremely abusive with the support of their manager ben chapman. When the dodgers played the phillies on april 22nd, the phillies players continuously yelled at jackie making upsetting remarks at him. Happy chandler i, admonished the phillies and asked jackie to pose for a picture with chapman. Although neither jackie nor chapman refused, it was something neither of the two truly wanted to do. It is to be said that he played 151 games, hit.297, was the league leader of stolen bases with a total of 29 and nine times stealing home base.

He was awarded rookie of the year and in 1949 was awarded by the national league as most valuable player and batting leader with a.342. In 1955 jackie was on the downside of his career but it was during his prime that he had finally became respected as a player. He had led the dodgers to their first world series in 1947 with 5 following short after. His major league career was very short considering he entered the major league at age 27. After the 1956 season, jackie was sold to the new york giants which not long after became the los angeles giants. Unfortunately jackie felt that it was time for him to retire so on january 5,1957 at the age of 37 he did. He wanted to either manage or coach a team but he didn't receive any offers so instead he became a businessman and the vice president of the chock full o' nuts corporation.

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In the 1960 election he contributed to the presidential campaign for herbert humphrey. He supported nixon during the election but after nixon was elected in 1968 he claimed to have regretted it. He also served on the board of the naacp until 1967 and only resigned because of the small amount of younger influence on the board.