When baseball was desegregated in 1945, after Rickey Branch reached out to Jackie Robinson, many things changed and the Civil Rights movement gained momentum. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to step onto a major league baseball field. This monumental event not only furthered the Civil Rights Movement but provided other African Americans with the opportunity to play not only baseball but fight for rights in other aspects of their lives. His inspiring ordeal gave awareness of the importance of the Civil Rights Movement to a demographic of people that otherwise would not have had any reason to concern themselves with it. The Civil Rights movement was launched by his career, and without Jackie Robinson, may not have been as successful and meaningful as it was. Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. His family was sharecroppers living in Cairo Georgia, however, after his father left them they moved to Pasadena California. It was there that his love for sports began. His brother was a track star, going to Berlin in the 1936 Olympics and winning a silver medal. This prompted him to start his career in sports. He first started running track and playing basketball, baseball, and football. He continued his love for sports at Pasadena Junior College, however soon after he transferred to UCLA in 1939. It was there that he met his later wife, Rachel Isum. He did not graduate from UCLA however, and instead spent his next two years playing football in Hawaii and California. In the spring of 1942, he was drafted into the United States Army. Although he never saw combat, he was an officer in charge of his own unit. (History, 1)The United States was fighting for the treatment of other people in the war, ironic since the treatment of people back home was still shameful. The Civil Rights Movement had been underway for many years, however, it had yet to pick up speed. Nevertheless, this would all change only a few years after Jackie Robinson desegregated baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Baseball was then and still is today, America’s Sport. All throughout history Baseball has been a relief for Americans. After World War II Americans enjoyed watching baseball as a way to distract themselves from reality. This is what made baseball such an essential part of the Civil Rights Movement. Baseball reached people from all across the country, this is why Branch Rickey was looking to desegregate baseball. He was looking for someone who was a good ball player but could also hold himself with composure and grace even while he was being taunted or yelled at. For this reason, Jackie Robinson caught his eye. He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944 and was met with the most press out of any other baseball player.
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Jackie Robinson and Civil Rights Movement: Analytical Essay.
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