Robinson, Jackie
The Oxford Companion to United States History
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2001
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© The Oxford Companion to United States History 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
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Robinson, Jackie (1919–1972),
baseball player,
civil rights leader, businessman, first
African American in modern major league baseball.Born in Georgia and raised in Pasadena, California, Jackie Robinson attended the University of California at Los Angeles where he excelled as an All‐American
football player, and in
basketball, broad jump, and baseball. Robinson later played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League.
In 1945, Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, selected Robinson to become the first African‐American player in major league baseball since the 1890s. His promotion to the Dodgers in 1947 triggered opposition from other players. Nonetheless, he batted .297, won the Rookie‐of‐the‐Year Award, and led the Dodgers to the pennant. Over the next decade, playing mostly second base, Robinson emerged as one of the most dominant players and foremost gate attractions in baseball history, winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949, compiling a .311 lifetime batting average and winning election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Robinson was a leading symbol of and spokesperson for the postwar
civil rights movement. Upon retirement he became a newspaper columnist and fundraiser for the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A believer in “black capitalism,” Robinson engaged in many business ventures in the black community, including Harlem's Freedom National Bank. Active in
Republican party politics, he was appointed special assistant for Community Affairs by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. By the late 1960s Robinson had become “bitterly disillusioned” with both baseball and American society. His 1972 autobiography,
I Never Had It Made, criticized the nation's retreat on civil rights issues.
See also
Racism;
Segregation, Racial;
Sports: Amateur Sports and Recreation;
Sports: Professional Sports.
Bibliography
Jackie Robinson with and Alfred Duckett , I Never Had It Made, 1972.
Jules Tygiel , Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy, 1983.
Jules Tygiel
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Jackie Robinson Honored Throughout Majors
News Wire article from: AP Online; 4/16/2006; ; 700+ words
; ...Robinson, widow of baseball legend Jackie Robinson looks on with New York Mets...York. Fifty-nine years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier...Stadium on Saturday, which was "Jackie Robinson Day" throughout the major leagues...
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Jackie Robinson: A Biography.
Magazine article from: World and I; 2/1/1998; ; 700+ words
; JACKIE ROBINSON A Biography Arnold Rampersad New York...league baseball. It was 1947 when Jackie Robinson made his historic debut with the Brooklyn...on Robinson's life and career. In Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait, published...
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The Jackie Robinson Story on DVD for the First Time in Color! Stunning New Restored and Colorized Movie a Hit for Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th.
Business Wire; 4/14/2005; 700+ words
; ...YORK -- Every April 15th is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball...honor American sports legend Jackie Robinson for his heroic achievement of...release of his classic film -- The Jackie Robinson Story -- restored and in color...
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Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait.
Magazine article from: World and I; 2/1/1998; ; 700+ words
; JACKIE ROBINSON An Intimate Portrait Rachel Robinson...league baseball. It was 1947 when Jackie Robinson made his historic debut with the Brooklyn...on Robinson's life and career. In Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait, published...
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The Jackie Robinson Foundation to Salute Trailblazers Don Newcombe and Suzanne de Passe at Celebrating Excellence Gala.
PR Newswire; 4/20/2006; 700+ words
; ...ANGELES, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jackie Robinson Foundation will host its second annual...the human condition mirror the spirit of Jackie Robinson, while raising funds for The Jackie Robinson Foundation's Education and Leadership...
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Pelosi Honors Jackie Robinson at Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
Newspaper article from: U.S. Newswire; 3/2/2005; 700+ words
; ...President Bush today honored Jackie Robinson with the Congressional Gold Medal...bare witness to the greatness of Jackie Robinson. Throughout his life, Jackie...Representative from Kentucky. "When Jackie Robinson was signed, the courageous Dodger...
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Jackie Robinson Foundation and New Era Cap Unveil Extensive New Partnership.
PR Newswire; 1/30/2009; 700+ words
; ...Make Significant Investment in Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship and Mentoring...Program New Era to Donate to the Jackie Robinson Foundation $1 of Each Cap Sold...baseball and civil rights legend Jackie Robinson (January 31, 2009), New Era...
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 "Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)")
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A Robinson still at the bat; Rachel, Jackie's widow, at Spa to help foundation.(Sports)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 8/22/2006; 700+ words
; ...widow of Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson was reminded of a stretch during...in the evening to promote the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which provides college...to continue operations. The Jackie Robinson Foundation has come a long way...
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PELOSI HONORS JACKIE ROBINSON AT CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL CEREMONY
Transcript from: Capitol Hill Press Releases; 3/2/2005; 700+ words
; ...Immediate Release Pelosi Honors Jackie Robinson at Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony...President Bush today honored Jackie Robinson with the Congressional Gold Medal...bare witness to the greatness of Jackie Robinson. Throughout his life, Jackie...
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The Jackie Robinson Reader.
Magazine article from: World and I; 2/1/1998; ; 700+ words
; THE JACKIE ROBINSON READER Edited by Jules Tygiel New...league baseball. It was 1947 when Jackie Robinson made his historic debut with the Brooklyn...Robinson's life and career. In Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait, published...
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Robinson, Jackie 1919-1972
Book article from: American Decades
ROBINSON, JACKIE 1919-1972 First black in major league baseball Childhood Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia, the youngest...family out. Mrs. Robinson refused. Jackie Robinson remembered that "Pasadena regarded...
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Robinson, Jackie 1919–1972
Book article from: Contemporary Black Biography
Jackie Robinson 1919 – 1972 Professional baseball player Jackie Robinson may have had more influence on the...Sports Legends as saying, “ Jackie Robinson opened the door of baseball to all...
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Jackie Robinson
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Jackie Robinson (Jack Roosevelt Robinson), 1919-72, American baseball...Experiment (1983) and Extra Bases (2002); A. Rampersad, Jackie Robinson (1997); S. Simon, Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball (2002).
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Robinson, Jackie
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to United States History
Robinson, Jackie (1919–1972), baseball...raised in Pasadena, California, Jackie Robinson attended the University of California...Professional Sports . Bibliography Jackie Robinson with and Alfred Duckett , I Never...
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Robinson, Sharon 1950–
Book article from: Something About the Author
...and Georgetown University. Jackie Robinson Foundation, member of board...Family Portrait by the Daughter of Jackie Robinson , HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996. Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By , Scholastic...
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