42 Jackie Robinson and baseballs racial integration Racial

42 Jackie Robinson and baseball’s racial integration

Racial segregation • After the Civil War ended, and the 13 th, 14 th, and 15 th Amendments were passed to ensure that slavery was over and that African-Americans were guaranteed the same rights as European-Americans, whites, especially southern whites, began to come up with ways to disenfranchise African. Americans.

Racial segregation • A system called “Jim Crow” developed in the South the segregate and disenfranchise African. American and mixed-race people. • Public places, public transportation, schools, libraries, restaurants, water fountains, restrooms, and just about anything else you can think of was segregated. "At the bus station in Durham, North Carolina. " May 1940, Jack Delano.

“Separate But Equal” • The Supreme Court stated in “Plessy v. Ferguson” that people of color were not guaranteed a desegregated society, but were to be provided with ‘separate but equal’ facilities. • The provided facilities were mostly inferior. 1904 caricature of "White" and "Jim Crow" rail cars by John T. Mc. Cutcheon. Despite Jim Crow's legal pretense that the races be "separate but equal" under the law, nonwhites were given inferior facilities and treatment.

Jackie Robinson • Born in 1919, Jack Robinson was raised in the Jim Crow era. • His family moved to California when he was young, and he was able to go to a desegregated high school, where he lettered in four sports, and eventually went to UCLA where he also lettered in four sports. He lettered in track, baseball, basketball and football, and went on to play semipro football before enlisting in the Army in 1942.

Jackie Robinson His brothers were athletes as well- Mack Robinson won a silver in the men’s 200 m race in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics. They knew getting Jackie into sports would be important for his future.

Jackie Robinson • Jackie got a reputation for fighting against acts he thought were racist in college and later, in the army. • In the Army, he was stationed in Ford Hood, Texas and was getting on a city bus and was ordered to move to the back of the bus. • He refused, and was brought up for a courtmartial. • He was acquitted, but spent the whole of World War II stateside.

Jackie Robinson • He got a job as Athletic Director of Sam Houston college, and from there he got an offer to play for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues for $400/ mo, or $5, 240 in 2014 dollars

Branch Rickey • Wesley ‘Branch’ Rickey was a professional baseball player who had a few terrible seasons and went back to college to learn management and law. • He came back to baseball as an executive, coach, and later manager. • He was a great innovator in baseball. • He was also an extremely devout Christian who went to an integrated college and was upset with the way his African-American teammates were treated.

Branch Rickey • He started a lot of major changes in MLB. • Batting helmets, minor league farm teams, spring training, batting cages, pitching machines, statistical analysis, and most importantly, integrating baseball while he was the GM at the Brooklyn Dodgers

Jackie Robinson Timeline • April 16, 1945 -Robinson has a try out for the Boston Red Sox. The team and the manager don’t show up. • August 28 th, 1945 -Branch Rickey hires Robinson to play for the Montreal Royals, then the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farm team in Canada. • March, 1946 -He and John Wright, an other African-American player, go to Daytona Beach for Spring training. The Royals and Dodgers are scheduled to play in Sanford, Fl, but the park won’t let them play because of Robinson and Wright. • February , 1947 - Spring Training in Cube this year • April 10 th, 1947 - Brooklyn Dodgers sign Robinson • April 15 th, 1947 - Robinson makes his MLB debut, breaking the color barrier.