This paper discusses the life of Jackie Robinson and the impact of his breaking the color barrier to become the first black baseball player in the major leagues.
Today, African Americans are commonly found playing on major league baseball teams. In fact, many of the most popular and noted players are African American. Few people today would think twice about black and white ball players sharing lockers, travelling together and playing together.
But it was not always so. Prior to the 1940s, there was not one single proven black in the majors. And a lot of people wanted to keep it that way. After all, it had always been that way. We must remember, this was an era before civil rights, the Supreme Court decisions, and the acceptance of African Americans as having full human status.
Well-meaning people often thought of being nice to the Negro. But often the stereotype of Bo Jangles or Uncle Remus held sway. And somehow, baseball had always been off limits to African Americans, especially in the majors. Since baseball was ,,,