Jackie Robinson: The First Black Man

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In a time where the country was segregated, Jackie Robinson, who came from a hardworking family and fought during World War II, took the greatest risk any young black man could take in the 1940’s by becoming the first black man to play in Major League Baseball. On January 31, Jack Roosevelt Robinson, the baby of five children was born during the winter of 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie’s father took off shortly after he was born leaving Millie to raise five children all by herself. A year after Jackie was born, his mother moved the children from Georgia to Pasadena, California. They moved to a predominantly white neighborhood and were the only black family on their block. The shameful prejudice that they encountered did nothing but strengthened …show more content…
In 41 games with the Monarchs, he batted .345 with 10 doubles, four triples, and five home runs. His impressive performance caught the eye of one of the scouts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Rickey decided to take him on. In 1947, Jackie Robinson faced the greatest challenge of his life by breaking the color barrier and becoming the first black man to play in the Major Leagues. His first year on the team, he faced many dangers due to racism. But he managed to rise above anything that was thrown at him and just played his game. At the end of his rookie season, he had become the National League Rookie of the year with 12 homers, a league leading 29 steals, and a .297 batting average.
In 1949 he was selected as the NL’s Most Valuable Player of the year and also won the batting title with a .342 average that same year. As a result of his great success during his baseball career, Jackie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Jackie Robinson’s life and legacy will be remembered as one of the most important in American history. From his humble beginnings along with his time in the army to his historic baseball career, Jackie Robinson became a living milestone for racial equality and changed the sport of baseball