Jackie Robinson

An American Citi zen

Introducti on

Sports and athletics can teach us how to develop individual skills, become effective members of a team and to compete and win gracefully. Sometimes a sport or a player effects us beyond the enjoyment of the game. This study will focus on just that. We will see how baseball and Jackie Robinson transformed the world.“There’s not an American in This Country Free Until Everyone of Us is Free” Jackie Robinson

What Makes a Good Citi zen?

Circle Map-

GoodCitizen

Background

• Jackie Robinson was the ballplayer who broke the unwritten rule that kept black athletes out of the major leagues for sixty years.

• Baseball was a segregated sport until the mid-1940s when Robinson, prompted by daring team executive Branch Rickey, broke the color barrier.

• Robinson endured many challenges to prove his ability as an athlete.

• He was accepted as an important contributor to the sport.

• He defended and upheld the dignity of his race.

Objecti ve

Students will be able to (SWBAT):1. Describe the social conditions of the era2. Analyze the path taken by Robinson to become a

major league player3. Analyze and evaluate Robinson’s role in social change

by examining primary and secondary sources, participating in a gallery walk & discussions, and responding to writing prompts.

Segregati on and Jim Crow

• Based on a character from minstrel showsbetween the 1830s and 1840s• Segregation enjoyed legal protectionfrom the 1880s-1960s.• These laws, or “black codes”, wereenacted by many states and some cities.• Forbade intermarriage, service inpublic and private facilities, playingamateur baseball near negro parks, etc.

Acti vityGive One, Get One

• Students will list three Jim Crow laws and trade with three other students

• In a whip-around, students will share one with the class.

• A short class debrief concludes the activity.

Give One, Get OneMy Ideas in complete sentences-1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________My Partners’ Ideas- Speak with three other students and add

one new idea from each person.4. (name)____________ Idea__________________________5. (name)____________ Idea__________________________6. (name)____________ Idea__________________________Write down one new idea from the class discussion____________________________________________________

1940s America

• Began in the depths of The Great Depression• FDR and WWII• With men at war, women and minorities enjoyed

economic gains• Postwar euphoria

• Segregation continues to affect many ethnic groups.• Baseball thrives as “America’s past time.”• Blacks play ball in the Negro Leagues.

• Women play ball in a “League of Their Own.”

Quick Write- Describe the historical context that gave the opportunity for womento play baseball in the early 1940s.

Jackie in his Youth

• Born Jan. 31, 1919 in Cairo , Georgia• Youngest of five children, raised in poverty by

a single mother• Attended John Muir High School and Pasadena

Junior College• Played four sports- football, basketball, track

and field, baseball

Jackie as a Young Man

• Transferred to UCLA to continue athletics• First student to earn letters in four sports• Played semi-pro football in Hawaii in 1941

• Served as 2nd lieutenant in U.S. Army from 1942-1944

• Court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus during training

• Later acquitted and received an honorable discharge in 1944

Jackie in Professional Baseball

• Began his professional career with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues

• Signed a minor league contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945

• Played his first game with the Montreal Royals in 1946

The Noble ExperimentBranch Rickey

• Dodger president who signed Jackie to his first minor and major league contracts

• Scouted and hand-picked Jackie• Prepped Jackie for the difficult times ahead• Continued to mentor Jackie for the rest of his

life; Jackie never missed an opportunity to praise and thank Mr. Rickey for his support

The First Year

• The player conspiracy• Spring training alone• Slow start- 0 for 24• Racial slurs, taunts and a “little chin music”

Quick Write: How do sports and entertainment mirror society?

• Winning the respect of teammates• Hate mail, death threats and more• Success! National League Rookie of the Year

and an appearance in the 1947 World Series

A Stellar Playing Career

• 10 year major leaguer, all with Dodgers• 1947 Rookie of the Year• 1949 Most Valuable Player• 6 World Series appearances (1955)• 14 All-Star game appearances• 1962 Hall of Fame Inductee

Life Aft er Baseball

• Retired in 1956 after refusing a trade to the New York Giants

• Chock Full O’ Nuts• Board member of NAACP• The “ballot and the buck”

• Freedom National Bank• Campaigning for Richard Nixon• Work with MLK, Jr.

Quick Write: How would you evaluate Jackie Robinson as an American citizen?

Legacy

• Passed away October 24, 1972 at age of 53• Enabled black players to play in the majors• Advocate for political rights and economic

opportunities for black men and women• Demanded more coaching and executive

opportunities for blacks in baseball

• Autobiography, I Never Had It Made• Beloved family carries on• MLB Channel “Jackie Robinson Studio”• Jackie Robinson Stadium, UCLA• Jackie Robinson Foundation

• Jackie Robinson Scholarship• Permanently retired number 42• Jackie Robinson Day April 15

Baseball Jeopardy