Jackie Robinson

1
Jackie Robinson

• The first African-American Player in Major League
  Baseball

Created by Janice Pickett Bibb County Public
Schools, 2006
2
Jackie Robinson

• He was born on January 31, 1919 near Cario,
  Georgia.
• In May, 1920 he moved to California with his
  mother.

3
What did the Robinsons find in California?

• The public pool was open only one day a week to
  black people.

4

• In the movie theaters, blacks had to sit
  separately from the whites. Blacks had to sit in
  the balcony.

5

• Some people cursed the Robinsons and threw rocks
  at them.

6
What did Jackie like to do?

• Jackie loved to play games and sports. He liked
  to win.

7
What did Jackie do when he got older?

• In high school Jackie Robinson starred in track
  and field, football, basketball, and baseball. At
  the University of California at Los Angeles
  (UCLA) he was a football hero.

8
Jackie is a soldier.

• World War II started in 1941.
• Jackie was drafted into the army in 1942.

9
Was the Army fair to black men when Jackie was a
soldier?

• Jackie could not be on the army baseball team
  because he was black.
• The army restaurant had a separate sections for
  black and white soldiers.
• Black soldier were turned down when they first
  applied to officers school.
• Sometimes black soldier were told to go to the
  back of the bus.

10
Jackie and the Army

• In August 1944, Jackie Robinson was
  court-martialed put on trial by the army- for
  not showing respect to an officer.
• He was judged to be innocent because he had not
  broken any rules.
• He decided to leave the Army because he did not
  think they were fair.

11
Professional Baseball

• In 1945, professional baseball was a segregated
  sport. Black men played on black teams and white
  men played on white teams.

12

• Jackie Robinson played shortstop for the Kansas
  City Monarchs, a Negro League.
• He was a good player. He could hit the ball and
  run fast.

13
Brooklyn Dodgers

• The Brooklyn Dodgers was a white team.
• The president of the Dodgers wanted baseball
  teams that were open to all good players, black
  and white.
• The president asked Jackie Robinson to play for
  the Dodgers.

14
Do not fight back!

• The president told Jackie that he could expect
  trouble. But he wanted a ballplayer who would not
  fight back.

15
Jackies Trouble

• Jackie could not stay in the same hotels as his
  white teammates.
• He could not eat in the same restaurants.
• Some ballplayers wanted to stop playing.
• Some ballplayers insulted and kicked Jackie.
• Nobody thought blacks and whites could play
  together.

16
Jackie Wins

• Jackie Robinson won the Rookie of the Year for
  being the best first year player in the major
  league in 1947.
• In 1949 he was selected as the Most Valuable
  Player in the National League.

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The Best Award

• Jackie Robinson was the first African American
  inducted into baseballs Hall of Fame.

18
Equal Rights

• Jackie Robinson retired from baseball but worked
  hard to get equal rights for African-Americans.
  His playing baseball was the important 1st step.

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Review

• Watch and listen.

20
Review

• Who was the first black baseball player?
• Jackie Robinson

21
Review

• True or False
• A black baseball player helped the civil rights
  movement get started.
• True