Jackie Robinson was one of the most profound individuals to ever walk on this earth. Robinson established a reputation as a man who never tolerated insults to his dignity (Kahn 6). One of his accomplishments was entering the major leagues and is one of the most remarkable and inspiring accomplishments in sports history. When Robinson became the first black to play in Major League Baseball, he changed Americans’ views on racism forever.

Robinson was born the youngest of five children near Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. Robinson’s father, a sharecropper, left the family when Robinson was only about 2 years old. His mother, Mallie McGriff Robinson, then moved to Pasadena, California to find work (James 5). Trouble found Robinson at an early age, when he became a member of the Pasadena gang (7). Mack, Robinson’s older brother, used sports to become popular not drugs or gangs (8). In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Mack won the silver metal in the 200m-hurdle (13). Learning to deal with criticism early was a major contribution to his success in life. He and his friends would be called racial names while just trying to play baseball at the lo

In 1964, the governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, asked Robinson if he wanted to be on his presidential campaign (Elderkin). This surprised many Americans that Rockefeller would want Robinson, a black man, on his campaign. In 1967 Robinson resigned from the NAACP because he felt that they were not radical enough to change Americans views (Elderkin). He later campaigned with Hurbert Humphery and while alongside him, Robinson would give speeches about the black rights movement. Robinson would often write letters to the president, whomever it was at the time, stating that the president should enforce civil rights laws to protect the blacks (Elderkin).

was cleared of all charges and received an honorable discharge from the Army (51).

After 10-years in the major leagues he retired from the game in 1957 (James 215). However, his life after baseball is where he influenced Americans views on racism the most. He joined the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and was on the board of directors’ (217). In 1963, Robinson teamed up with Martin Luther King Jr., and went to Birmingham, Alabama to speak out against racism (226). He and King worked to change the “common” American view on equality for all citizens (231).

After leaving the Army, Robinson wanted to play his favorite sport, baseball. He tried out for many teams in the Negro League and was finally drafted by the Kansas City Monarchs (Kahn 67). There were not many teams in the Negro League, which made for a lot of traveling. Although Robinson did not like the lifestyle of always being on the road, he loved the game of baseball. He and his teammates would have to withstand the racial tensions everywhere they went (71). His teammates would often yell back nasty comments that would just provoke the whites. Robinson was always the leader in telling his teammates to just ignore their comments (76). Many whites had never seen a man react in such a tranquil way. A local newspaper reporter says Robinson would often call these comments “silly” (Elderkin). While playing in the Negro L

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