Jackie Robinson: Bound by No Limits
Bonnie Keener
Senior Division
Historical Paper
1
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on others.”
-Jackie Robinson
Introduction
Baseball, the sport that is known today as the national pastime, is one of the most
commonly played sports. Today, if you were to go to a baseball game you could see any race out
on the playing field, but it was not always like this. At one point in our history, blacks were not
allowed to play sports in the same league as whites. There were two separate leagues, one for
blacks and one for whites. This color barrier was broken in 1947, when Jackie Robinson stepped
onto the green grass of the baseball diamond, and changed the face of sports.
Jackie Robinson is known today for his integration of Major League Baseball. However,
his entire life is noteworthy in American history. He was the first African American to play on a
Major League Baseball team in the 20th century. It took a lot of courage for him to step out and
break this color barrier. He moved the nation with both his baseball career and his willingness to
succeed and the hard work he put into everything he did. Coming from a line of poverty, he
learned that you have to work hard to get the things you want, and never give up; that’s exactly
what he did. Jackie Robinson not only transformed the sport of baseball, but he also helped to
push the Civil Rights movement along. By integrating baseball, he helped to change the way
African Americans were viewed in society. His life should be an example for those of us who
want to make a change in the world.
Growing Up
2
In 1919, Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born into a family of sharecroppers and was the
youngest of five children. Shortly after Jackie’s father left his family, his mother took him and
his siblings to Pasadena, California. Growing up in poverty made Jackie realize he wanted
something more for his life. After graduating from junior high school, he was enrolled in John
Muir High School. Jackie went to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), after
high school. He was the first student there to letter in four varsity sports, including baseball,
basketball, football, and track. However, despite his athletic abilities and talent, he was forced to
leave UCLA in 1941, due to financial hardships. After college, Robinson decided to play football
with the Honolulu Bears, a semi-professional football team in Honolulu, Hawaii. Once again,
Jackie’s time was cut short and he left the Honolulu Bears to join in the army as the United
States entered World War 2 II. He served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army from
1942 to 1944. During boot camp, Jackie was ordered to move to the back of a bus that was
segregated; he refused to follow this order. Jackie was arrested and later taken to court over the
matter. The court acquitted him of all charges and he was given an honorable discharge; he never
even made it to combat.1 This was just the beginning of his work towards desegregation. In
1946, the same year that he began playing for the Montreal Royals, Robinson married Rachel
Ishum; together they had three children Jackie Jr., Sharon, and David. His family was one of his
main support systems during the times of racial discrimination and struggle that he faced
throughout his lifetime and career.
1
Vernon, John. "Jim Crow, Meet Lieutenant Robinson A 1944 Court-Martial." Prologue
Magazine. Spring 2008: Vol. 40, No. 1. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2008/spring/robinson.html>.
3
Baseball Career
When Jackie Robinson stepped onto the scene of baseball, it was still segregated. He
came into the Negro leagues as a five foot, eleven inch tall, two-hundred and four pound African
American man; and he was a force to be reckoned with. In 1945, he joined the Kansas City
Monarchs, a professional baseball team in the Negro leagues. He played one season in the Negro
leagues before getting chosen by Brooklyn Dodgers president, Branch Rickey, to play in the
Major Leagues with white players. In 1946, Robinson began playing on a minor league, farm
team called the Montreal Royals. Branch Rickey chose to put Robinson on the Royals team first
to test the waters of integration, and to prepare Jackie to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This
outstanding move was met with many controversies and discouragement towards both Robinson
and Branch. On April 18, 1946, Robinson played his first game with the Royals and led them to
a win of 14-1. After his first, and only, season with the Royals, Branch moved him up to play
with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was the first African American Major League baseball
player since 1889 when the sport of baseball had become segregated. However, his contract had
a stipulation in it; Jackie had to promise Branch that he would not fight when confronted with
racism.2 He had to keep his calm in all situations so things would run smoothly and he would be
allowed to stay on the team with the Dodgers. Robinson was not only confronted with vicious
racism from the crowd, but also from his teammates. In one situation, Robinson was being
taunted so harshly from the other team and the crowd that his teammate decided to step in.
Shortstop Pee Wee Reese left his position and walked over to first baseman Robinson and simply
2
"Jackie Robinson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Feb 09 2013, 05:04
http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813.
4
draped his arm over his shoulders to show his support for Robinson. This motion has become
such a legendary gesture in baseball that, they created a statue that portrays the moment between
these two.3 Even after this, the harassment continued, Robinson got death threats and the crowds
jeered at him almost constantly. Through the support of his wife, and three children, Dodgers
manager and some of his teammates, he was able to stand tall through these trials. He kept his
dignity and continued on with the Dodgers for ten seasons. In 1947, Robinson’s first season with
the Dodgers, he was named Rookie of the year. In 1949, he was named Most Valuable Player of
the year, and also won the batting title for that year. In 1947 and 1949, he had the most stolen
bases in the National League. In 1962, Jackie Robinson was the first African American to be
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.4 He also, led the Dodgers to six World Series games
and one World Series Championship. In 1956, Jackie decided to retire from baseball, after being
traded to the New York Giants. His accomplishments on the baseball field were many, but they
expanded much farther than that. Jackie Robinson stepped onto the field as an African American
man, and received much harassment from others; yet he still managed to play the game of
baseball to the best of his ability. He proved that African Americans could play sports just as
well as any other race. He opened the door for integration of other sports as well as integration
throughout everyday life.
3
Ed Shakespeare. “Power of Restraint.” The Brooklyn Paper. 5 November 2005.
4
"Robinson, Jackie." Baseball Hall of Fame . National Baseball Hall of Fame. Web. 10
Feb 2013. <http://baseballhall.org/hof/robinson-jackie>.
5
Beyond Baseball
Robinson continued to strive for equality in all areas of life, even after his baseball career
ended. In his book, Baseball Has Done It, he states, “We (Negros) are adamant: we intend to use
every means at our disposal to smash segregation and discrimination wherever it appears.”5 He
pursued equality for African Americans in every aspect. His wife once said “He was the first
Negro to play baseball in the major leagues. Everybody knew that…In remembering him, I tend
to de-emphasize him as a ball player and emphasize him as an informal civil rights leader. That’s
the part that drops out, that people forget.”6 He served on the board of directors for the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 10 years, from 1957 to 1967;
it was his first of his action in the civil rights movement. Together, with the NAACP, he traveled
around to participate in fundraisers, public speaking, and many marches. He also attended rallies
and fund-raising events with Martin Luther King Jr.; together, Jackie and Martin, served as
honorary chairmen of the Youth March for Integrated Schools. In this march, students joined
together to try and gain support of desegregation in American schools. In July of 1949, at the
house of Un-American Activities Committee, Robinson testified, to make people aware of the
harsh discrimination that he faced during his baseball career. He also campaigned against
presidents who seemed uninterested or ignorant towards the Civil Rights cause. He would then
5
Robinson, Jackie. Baseball Has Done It. Philadelphia and New York: J.B. Lippincott
Company, 1964. Print.
6
Serbondy, Victor. "Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson Beyond the Playing Field."
Teaching American History Projec. Washoe County School District, 09 22 09. Web. 13
Feb 2013. <http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/americanhistory/secondary/index.html>.
6
contact the presidents once they were in office. In one letter to president Dwight D. Eisenhower,
he wrote about how more needed to be done to show that America was actually trying to give
Negros the freedom that they rightfully deserved under the constitution.7 In another letter
addressed to President John F. Kennedy, he discussed his impatience towards the lack of effort to
integrate blacks. He felt that there was not enough being done to improve Civil Rights.8 In 1952,
Robinson recognized the Yankees as a racist organization for not breaking the color barrier. This
was 5 years after he began playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and had broken the color barrier
for Major League Baseball. In 1964, he cofounded the Freedom National Bank, which was an
interracial bank that helped colored business men get money to go towards their businesses. In
1966, he began working with the governor of New York on community affairs. Jackie Robinson
died from a heart attack in 1972, at the age of 53. After his death, Jackie’s wife set up a
foundation dedicated to help disadvantaged students of color gain higher education and develop
their leadership potential.9 Robinson worked tirelessly to provide more rights and equality for
7
Robison, Jackie. Letter from Jackie Robinson to President Dwight D. Eisenhower Box
731 . (1958): File: OF-142-A-3 . Dwight D. Eisenhower Library. White House Central..
Web. 10 Feb 2013.
8
"Teaching With Documents: Beyond the Playing Field - ." LETTER JACKIE ROBINSON TO
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY FEBRUARY 9, 1961 . John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Library, 28 07 1961. Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/jackie-robinson/letter-1961.html>.
9 8
The Jackie Robinson Foundation. The Jackie Robinson Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Feb
2013. <http://www.jackierobinson.org/about/mission.php>.
7
African Americans. He achieved what he set out to do and even now, his impact is still
recognized in our everyday lives.
Conclusion
Jackie Robinson bravely, and boldly, stepped out onto the field of Major League baseball
as an African American. His life as a child in poverty gave him the motivation and the drive to
do good for himself and others around him. Jackie transformed the views that society had cast
onto African Americans. His career brought about an understanding that African Americans had
just as many abilities and talents as white people had. After his career, Jackie didn’t slow down,
he kept on going right into work with the civil rights movement. People at first shunned his bold
movements to desegregate sports and society but eventually it was welcomed. As more colored
players also stepped onto the scene of sports and more equality was seen in society, people
became more and more accepting of Robinson’s decisions to take those courageous first steps.
Jackie Robinson was not just a great baseball player, but he was also a great man.
8
Appendix I
This is a picture of the statue that depicts Pee Wee Reese with his arm draped across Robinson’s
shoulders. This gesture showed Reese’s support and acceptance of Robinson.
9
Gobetz, Wally. Brooklyn - Coney Island: Keyspan Park - Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee
Reese statue. 2007. flickr, Coney Island. Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/207740560/in/photostream/>.
Appendix II
A letter from Jackie Robinson to President John F. Kennedy discussing his impatience towards
Kennedy’s lack of action towards Civil Rights.
"Teaching With Documents: Beyond the Playing Field - ." LETTER JACKIE ROBINSON TO
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PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY FEBRUARY 9, 1961 . John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Library, 28 07 1961. Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/jackie-robinson/letter-1961.html>
Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources
Robinson, Jackie. Baseball Has Done It. Philadelphia and New York: J.B. Lippincott
Company, 1964. Print.
This book was written by Robinson about his integration of the National League of Baseball. It
included stories about his career and interviews with others, some of which had benefitted from
his decision to integrate baseball. In the book, he talks about how if baseball can be desegregated
than the world around him, as a whole, should be able to do the same thing. Jackie Robinson’s
main concern was integration of all races in every situation.
"Teaching With Documents: Beyond the Playing Field - ." LETTER JACKIE ROBINSON TO
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY FEBRUARY 9, 1961 . John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Library, 28 07 1961. Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/jackie-robinson/letter-1961.html>
11
This letter was sent from Jackie Robinson to John F. Kennedy in 1961. In this letter, Robinson
expressed how after much patience, his patience was beginning to wear thin. This was a call to
action from Robinson to Kennedy. Jackie was growing ever more impatient with nothing being
done to improve rights for African Americans and he wanted Kennedy to work harder towards
desegregation in all aspects of society. This source was important because it showed how
Robinson went about things; he did business in a very orderly manner and still got his point
across.
Robinson, Jackie. Letter from Jackie Robinson to President Dwight D. Eisenhower Box
731 . (1958): File: OF-142-A-3 . Dwight D. Eisenhower Library. White House Central..
Web. 10 Feb 2013.
This source had a letter that was written from Jackie Robinson to Dwight D. Eisenhower. It
showed how he worked beyond his baseball career, as a civil rights activist. He sent Eisenhower
this letter, which discussed how he was growing impatient to the President’s not doing anything
to get closer to integration of African Americans. He thought the president should be doing more
to get constitutional rights for African Americans like himself.
Effrat, Louis. "The New York Times." Of Skill and Courage. (1947): 1. Web. 10
Feb. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0410.html>.
This newspaper article was published on April 10, 1947. It discussed Robinson’s first game with
the Dodgers. It also highlighted the choice that Branch Rickey had made to promote Robinson to
the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Robinson’s decision to accept this promotion.
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"Interview with Jackie Robinson." Perf. Jackie Robinson. "Meet the Press". National
Broadcasting Company: 14 Apr 1957. Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/robinson/meetpress.html>.
This was a radio broadcast of an interview between Jackie Robinson and a panel of press
members. The interview consisted of questions from the panel, and answers from Jackie,
concerning him being traded to the New York Giants, his retirement and his new position as the
vice president of Chock Full O’Nuts Company of New York. It also had information about his
position in the NAACP and his thoughts on Civil Rights.
The Jackie Robinson Story. Dir. Alfred Green. Perf. Jackie Robinson. 1950. Film.
This movie was filmed in 1950, three years after Jackie began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
This movie told about how Jackie got to where he was in his life and how he grew up to get to
that place. This source told the story of Jackie Robinson and starred Jackie Robinson. It was a
great way to learn about Robinson, aside from just reading text about him.
“Jackie Robinson on Racial Taunts.” 2013. The History Channel website. Feb 14 2013, 12:49
http://www.history.comhttp://www.history.com/speeches/robinson-on-racial-taunts.
Jackie Robinson appeared before the House of Un-American Activities committee, and this
website provided a part of his speech to them.
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Secondary Sources
Smith , Ronald A. "The Paul Robeson-Jackie Robinson Saga and a Politcal Collision."
Journal of Sport History. 6.2 (1979): 15-17. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1979/JSH0602/jsh0602b.pdf>.
This source compared the Civil Rights activist Paul Robeson to Jackie Robinson. Jackie was a
patient man and he did not want to fight against the decisions of whites, and he tried to be
accepted by them. Robeson was opposite, he wanted to move civil rights along quicker, he was
not worried about being accepted by the whites but instead, he was worried about getting equal
rights, no matter what it took to obtain them. This source also had information on Branch
Rickey, and how he came to the decision that Jackie was the right person to break the color
barrier. He studied deep into Jackie’s history before he chose him to play for his team. He chose
Jackie because of his previous encounters with racial discrimination.
Landsburg, Alan. Jackie Robinson. N.d. Video. bio. true story.Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813/videos/jackie-robinsonfull-episode-2190492587>.
This video contained information from all areas of Jackie’s life. It also told stories from Jackie’s
perspective and how he saw things happening around him as he brought down the walls of the
color barrier.
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"Jackie Robinson." Institut Historica Dominion Istitute. The Historica-Dominion
Institute. Web. 10 Feb 2013. <https://www.historica-dominion.ca/content/heritageminutes/jackie-robinson>.
This source had information on Robinson’s career and achievements in baseball. It also talked
about how Rickey Branch approached Robinson to discuss his want for him on his team.
"Robinson, Jackie." Baseball Hall of Fame . National Baseball Hall of Fame. Web. 10
Feb 2013. <http://baseballhall.org/hof/robinson-jackie>.
This website provided information on Jackie’s baseball career. It also provided a video that
included information about his achievements including, the number of times he stole home(19),
and the year he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mencarini, Mike. "Baseball and the Negro Leagues: A Symbol of America." Marquette
University History Department. Daniel J Meissner. Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/baseball.html>.
This source provided large amounts of history. It provided both history of baseball and history of
Jackie Robinson and how when the two met, the history of sports was changed forever.
Gwiazda, Ron. "Learn to Question." Jackie Robinson: Civil Right Activist. Sheldon
Seevak, n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2013. <http://www.learntoquestion.com/about/people.html>.
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This source helped me to learn about Jackie Robinson’s achievements outside of baseball. It
talked about the thing he did to work towards the Civil Rights cause.
Billington, James. "Join America at Play: Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier."
America's Library: Library of Congress. Librabry of Congress. Web. 10 Feb 2013.
<http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jp/bball/jp_bball_jackie_3.html>.
This source used a short summary to discuss Robinson’s life. This was a good source to get a lot
of information in a small amount of text. Robinson did so many things in his life and this website
did a very good job of covering all these things in just a short amount of text. It was a great way
to learn a little information before you really start digging down deeper into the life and career of
Jackie Robinson.
Wade , Harle. "The History, Origin, and Facts about Baseball." Livestrong. (2011): n.
page. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/415800-the-history-originfacts-about-baseball/>.
This source had information on the history of baseball. It was important to learn about the history
of baseball so that I could better understand how Jackie had changed the face of baseball.
"Jackie Robinson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Feb 09 2013, 05:04
http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813.
16
This source provided an overview of Robinson’s career. It also had information on all of his
achievements in life, and some content on his early childhood.
Ed Shakespeare. “Power of Restraint.” The Brooklyn Paper. 5 November 2005.
This source was a newspaper article that I found online. I used this source for information on the
statue of Jackie Robinson and his teammate Pee Wee Reese in Coney Island. This statue portrays
Reese with his shoulder draped over Robinson’s shoulder, which signified his support for
Robinson.
The Jackie Robinson Foundation. The Jackie Robinson Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Feb
2013. <http://www.jackierobinson.org/about/mission.php>.
This was the website that contained information about The Jackie Robinson Foundation. This
was an important source because this is one of the ways that Jackie’s legend continues on
through to the present day and time. He was such an important figure that his wife saw it as
important to help other children who have the same potential that he once had. The foundation
helps colored children who might not be able to achieve their goals and dreams without the help
of someone else.
.
"Robinson, Jackie (1919-1972) ." Martin Luther King, Jr. And The Global
Freedom Struggle. The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. Web. 10
Feb 2013. <http://mlk-
17
kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_robinson_jackie_1919_19
72/>.
This website contained information about Jackie Robinsons works with Martin Luther King Jr.
and the things they did together to further Civil Rights. It also listed other Civil Rights
movements that Robinson took part in.
Gobetz, Wally. "Brooklyn Cyclones Baseball 2007." Over in Brroklyn. Jon Cronin, 12
Apr 2007. Web. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
<http://overinbrooklyn.blogspot.com/search?q=Jackie Robinson>.
I used this blog to obtain an image of Pee Wee Reese and Robinson for Appendix I. This image
was important because it is discussed in my essay and I felt it was necessary to show this image
so people would understand the moment between the two men better.
Serbondy, Victor. "Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson Beyond the Playing Field."
Teaching American History Projec. Washoe County School District, 09 22 09. Web. 13
Feb 2013. <http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/americanhistory/secondary/index.html>.
This website had a quote from Jackie Robinson’s wife. She explained how she saw him as more
of a Civil Rights leader instead of a ball player.
18