Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919. He was the son of a family of sharecroppers. He accomplished many things that changed the way we live today. During his life, he was an athlete, business executive and a civil rights leader. He has made life exceptionally better for the African Americans of the United States. Jackie Robinson left college in order to join the army. He graduated from Officer Candidate School and became a second lieutenant. The army was segregated during that time. He protested about the way blacks were treated in the army. He did not like the military practices. He was also arrested for not wanting to move to the back of a bus. He began to play baseball for a team in the Negro Leagues. Then later that year, Branch Rickey signed for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He played in the international league that was the minor leagues. In 1947 he was drafted to the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the first Black to play in the major leagues. He broke the color barriers and made it possible for Blacks to play in the Major Leagues. His experiences in the majors were not pleasant. People called him names and threw things at him. He was spit on, hit with the ball, stepped on with spikes and many other things. He was told to ignore these things if he really wanted to stay in the leagues. He did this with the support of his manager and teammates. He was a role model for all people during the time he lived. Robinson became the vice-president of a restaurant chain in the New York City. He promoted black business enterprises in Harlem. He was a civil rights leader. From 1964 to 1968, he served as special assistant for Civil Rights to Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Jackie Robinson was and continues to be a role model for people of all ages. He has made life for people of color better today. He also became a very successful businessman. He can be considered a very important man to American history. |
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