Jackie Robinson Biography Essay

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Pages: 3

Robinson was born January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was raised by his single mother. Jackie went to John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College. He excelled as athlete in four sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball. Robinson continued his career at UCLA, and was the university’s first student to win a varsity letter in all four sports. Despite his success as an athlete, Jackie had to leave UCLA because of financial hardships. From 1942-1944, Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. In 1944, at boot camp in Fort Hood, Robinson was arrested and court-martialed for his refusal to move to the back of the bus. Robinson was given honorable discharge, and his charges were dropped.
After leaving the Army, Robinson’s baseball career began. The sport, at the time was separated into two leagues, one for the black men and one for the white. Robinson started out playing in the Negro League, but was later
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Ricky also personally put Jackie up to the test by using racial slurs and insults he knew Jackie would hear. Rickey was right when he told Robinson this would be hard. From the very beginning Jackie was faced with issues, his teammates even opposed him. The fans rebuked him, and he and his family received several threats. Robinson had an astonishing first year with the Royals. He finished with a .349 batting average that led the International League, and a .985 fielding percentage. This successful first year helped Robinson get a promotion from the Dodgers and started his legacy as the first African- American baseball player. Throughout the years, the harassment continued. Most distinctively by the Philadelphia Phillies and their manager, Ben Chapman. During one notorious game, Chapman and his team yelled disrespectful racist slurs at Jackie from the