Jackie Robinson's Early Life: From Cairo to California - By Will Dagle · Will Final Project

Jackie Robinson's Early Life: From Cairo to California - By Will Dagle

(Courtesy of: Archive Photos—Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Hello, my name is Will Dagle.

Everyone only likes to discuss Jackie Robinson’s impact on the game of baseball. Whether it be how he broke the color barrier, allowing for more and more African American players to come into the league, or how his playstyle revolutionized the game of baseball preparing people for the 1970s and 1980s non-stop base stealing action. But, I believe his actions outside the game of baseball helped the progress of the civil rights fight in the United States. On this first page, I’m giving you the information of how he grew up. You can have a general idea of the type of man he is, and why he did what he did outside of baseball. I will then explain my argument in more detail on the second page, and finally on the third page, I will summarize why I did this. My sources will be included on the bibliography page.

Born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was the youngest of five kids to Mallie McGriff and Jerry Robinson. His middle name was taken after the twenty-sixth President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

After the moved to Pasadena, California nearly a year after Jackie was born, Jerry Robinson left the family, leaving Mallie and her children to fend for themselves. This was the first of many hardships for Jack Robinson.

During high school, Robinson’s athletic abilities were quite renown. During his senior year, his local newspaper, noted his sports prowess conserving that Robinson lettered varsity in every sport he played in like baseball, track, tennis, basketball, and track.

After high school, Robinson chose to continue to play baseball (among the various other sports he played at John Muir High School) at Pasadena Junior College (PJC). Two majors events in his life happened during his time at PJC. Jack’s best friend and older brother, Frank Robinson died. Also, during his freshman year, Robinson was arrested after arguing with the police about the unjust detention of a black college friend of his. A passionate, fiery individual, Robinson would be noted from then on out as a man who does not sit quietly in the face of oppression.

Robinson would continue to play all of his sports at UCLA, with baseball, ironically, being his worst performance. He had a batting average of .097, with the average player, either collegiately or professionally, hitting around .250. After graduating from UCLA, Robinson moved to Honolulu where he would play semi-professional football for an integrated team. That wouldn’t last long however, as it was 1941 and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor would soon happen.

Since Robinson had a college degree, he applied for the Army’s Officer Candidate School. Naturally, his application was delayed as this was still a time of predominate racism in american society. But, with the help of protests by his future friend and Heavyweight Boxing world champion Joe Louis, Robinson was admitted and eventually graduated in 1943 and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.

"Jackie Robinson in his military uniform at his family home in Pasadena, California"

(Courtesy of: The Library of Congress, with permission by LOOK Magazine)

Just like during college, Robinson continued to speak out against any injustice that had happened to him. And so, on July 6, 1944 boarded an unsegregated military bus, Robinson, however was still ordered by the bus drover to sit in the back of the bus. Robinson refused, and at the end of the bus line, Robinson was arrested by military police, where an interrogation took place and he was bombarded with racist questions and by the end of it, the interogating officer recommended him to be court-martialed. Robinoson was eventually acquitted off all charges in the end by in all white jury.

After being discharged from the military, the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro League baseball team, offered him a professional contract to play baseball. Robinson excelled with the Monarchs, and attracted the attention of Rickey Branch, General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson eventually sign with the Dodgers, however, Branch made him agree to a very important clause. Branch knew Robinson was a fierce man who stood his ground. He made Robinson promise to “turn the other cheek” anytime anyone threw a racial epithet, or threatened violence, Robinson had to not confront them.

Robinson turned the other cheek quite a lot throughout his professional baseball career. He went to break the color barrier in baseball, became the Most Valuable Player of the National League in 1949, 6x All-Star, and World Series Champion. On October 24, 1972 Jackie Robinson, at the age of fifty-three, died from a heart attack. While considered one of the greatest baseball players ever to live, his off the field impacts were more impactful to Americans everywhere.