IndexIntroductionBiography and AchievementsConclusionWorks CitedIntroduction“A life is not important except by the impact it has on other lives” (Jackie Robinson). In the United States in the 1940s, segregation was the way of life. You probably know Jackie Robinson as number 42; the first black man to play major league baseball. In 1947 he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Jackie Robinson's life had many twists and turns. He was a very strong man who impacted countless numbers of people and still does today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayBiography and AchievementsJack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie was named after President Theodore Roosevelt. About a year after his birth, he moved to Pasadena, California with his mother. In California, he began to learn how terrible discrimination and racism were. Jackie watched her brothers play sports while she was growing up. He attended John Muir High School and excelled in four sports. In high school and college he played basketball, baseball, football and track. Her mother was a factory worker and they didn't have much money, but Jackie found her own way to live. Jackie's parents are Mallie and Jerry Robinson. He was born into a family of sharecroppers. Jackie's father left when he was about a year old and he never saw him again. His grandparents were slaves. He was the youngest of 5 children. He had three older brothers Mack, Edgar and Frank and a sister, Willa Mae. Jackie met nursing student Rachel Isum at UCLA. He married Rachel on February 10, 1946. They had three children; Jack Robinson Jr., Sharon and David. Jack Jr. died in a car accident when he was 24 years old. His daughter Sharon is an author and consultant for Major League Baseball and his son David is a coffee farmer in Tanzania. Jackie played four sports at UCLA, basketball, baseball, football and track. He was the first person to receive varsity letters in four sports at UCLA. He went to Honolulu, Hawaii to play semi-professional football for the Bears. About halfway through the season, he was drafted into the Army for World War II. Jackie served as a second lieutenant in the Army, but never fought. During this time, African Americans were not allowed to serve alongside whites. At training camp at Fort Hood, Texas, he refused to move to the back of the segregated Army bus and nearly got kicked out of the Army. In 1944, Jackie left the Army with an honorable discharge. Jackie began playing baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs. While playing for the Monarchs, he had a .387 batting average and was an exceptional shortstop. Brooklyn Dodgers branch general manager Rickey wanted to integrate Major League Baseball. He wanted to win the pennant. Branch Rickey knew the racism and comments would be unpleasant, so he wanted to find someone strong enough to handle it and not react. Branch asked Jackie to play for the Dodgers and in their first conversation Jackie said, "Mr. Rickey, are you looking for a nigga who's afraid to fight back?", Branch replied "Robinson, I'm looking for a ballplayer with enough guts so as not to react." https://www.ducksters.com/sports/jackie_robinson.php.Jackie started playing for the Dodgers farm team, the Montreal Royals. It didn't take long for the racism to start, teams not showing up to games, he was yelled at, threatened and things were thrown at him. He was able to deal with it and play hard. While playing for the Royals he had a batting average of .349. He won the league's MVP award. In the1947, Jackie was called up to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He played his first major league season as a first baseman. On April 15, 1947, Jackie became the first African American to play Major League Baseball, when he was 28 years old. There began to be more and more black fans at every game. The Dodgers players objected to Jackie playing on the team. They said they would rather stay out. “This is the United States of America and one citizen has the same right to play as another” (Ford Rick). Jackie had 175 hits, scoring a total of 125 runs, 12 home runs, 48 ​​RBI and 28 stolen bases. “This guy didn't just come to play. He came to beat you." That year the Dodgers won the pennant and Jackie received Major League Baseball's Rookie of the Year Award. "I don't care if you like me or don't like me... All I ask is that you respect as a human being." (Jackie Robinson). In the 1940s the United States was segregated. Now it is normal to have mixed race teams. However in the 1940s it was not a thing. Blacks were prohibited from playing baseball with whites . Brooklyn was a very segregated city, the African American population was only 4%. Many people opposed Jackie's signing to play for the Dodgers and the integration of baseball. The harassment and abuse Jackie had to endure without showing anger they would get someone in trouble today. His strength, his courage and his black supporters got him through, but having his wife Rachel by his side was the most important thing. In Jackie's baseball career, he averaged batting .311. He had a total of 137 home runs and 197 stolen bases. He was a great charlatan and base stealer. His best position was second base. He won the All-Star award 6 times. Jackie retired from baseball on January 5, 1957. Jackie retired because the Dodgers traded him for a pitcher and $30,000 after winning their sixth National League pennant. He did not accept the trade to the Dodgers' biggest rival, the New York Giants, so he retired. Jackie sent a letter to Horace Stoneham, the owner of the Giants, asking him to retire. Warren Giles, the president of the National League, approved Jackie's request to retire and added his name to the list of voluntary retirees. His letter remains in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Jackie played for the Dodgers for 10 years. “Jackie Robinson is perhaps the most historically significant baseball player ever, ranking with Babe Ruth in terms of his impact on the national pastime.” When Jackie first stepped onto the field playing Major League Baseball he broke the color barrier and ended more than sixty years of segregation in baseball. “He became a national hero to both white and black Americans because of his skill, courage and restraint.” Jackie opened the opportunity for more African Americans to play major league baseball. He was able to unite people through baseball as many were dealing with war. It integrated baseball, but that's not all. When he refused to move to the back of the army bus, he helped integrate into the army. After Jackie retired from baseball, he became active in the industry and continued to work as an activist for social change. He was the first black American vice president of a national corporation. In 1964, he helped found Freedom National Bank. The foundation was supposed to help African Americans gain financial independence. Jackie accused the Yankees of being racist in 1952, when they still had no African-American players after 5 years of breaking the color barrier. Jackie died on October 24, 1972 of a heart attack. At 7.10am he died at Stamford Hospital./9061631/.