We sent these questions to Doctor Michael Long, an associate professor of Religious Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies at Elizabethtown College.
1. Why did the Dodgers want Jackie on their team, knowing that he was black?
Branch Rickey was a Methodist who believed in God and long felt that it was unfair for baseball to exclude people because the color of their God-given skin was black. He also believed that by including blacks in baseball he could sell more tickets to more fans and thereby make more money for himself and the owners. Rickey wanted Jackie in particular not only because he was a great ball player but also because he had a strong character that could withstand a lot of abuse without hitting back under pressure.
2. Why exactly was Jackie facing so many hardships from fans, and what caused them to stop?
Robinson faced many hardships because many whites at the time believed that blacks were inferior to whites, especially intellectually, and should not deserve the same privileges given to whites, Many of these whites learned to discriminate from examples set by their parents, religious and educational leaders, and politicians. Laws and customs in many parts of the United States denied blacks first class citizenship; in other words, they denied blacks the rights and privileges guaranteed white males in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
3. Did he still want to play in the MLB, even though he was facing so much hate?
Yes, Robinson was a fierce competitor, and although there were times he felt very down, he thought it important for blacks and whites that he continue to play hard especially in the face of so much hate.
4. Which players, other than Pee Wee Reese, stuck up for Jackie?
Ralph Branca did so. He was a Dodger who had already faced discrimination and prejudice, but for a different reason. Branca was Italian, and in years before Jackie joined the Dodgers, many Italians and Irish faced discrimination throughout the United States.
5. Was Jackie wanted on the team by the players?
It took a good long while before the players started to accept him as a valuable member of their team. When they began to see how excellent his skills were, as well as how strong his character was, they began to change their minds about him.
6. What caused Jackie to dedicate his life to playing baseball, knowing that only whites were in the MLB?
He did not dedicate his life to playing baseball, but he did dedicate his life to making the United States a place where blacks could enjoy their constitutional rights. He did this because he believed in the principles of equality and justice and because he wanted his children to have a better life than his.
7. Why did Jackie except the contract from Branch Rickey, knowing that life would be very hard from that point on?
Jackie accepted the contract because he loved playing baseball, wanted a job that would pay him well enough to have a stable family, desired to transform the color of baseball, and craved the type of competition that MLB offered.
8. Did his understanding of politics help him to become an important civil rights leader?
Several things helped Jackie become an important civil rights leader. He was well-respected in black and white communities because of his baseball career, and he realized that he could use his celebrity status to help blacks who had long been denied their constitutional rights. Unlike many athletes, jackie decided not to live the rest of his life merely on the golf course or in another place of leisure. He had a deep sense of obligation and often said he would not be free until the poorest person in Mississippi was free. And so he devoted his life to fighting for freedom and justice for all.
9. After he retired from baseball, was he known mostly for his legendary MLB career or his importance in the civil rights movement?
Jackie worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as the NAACP, during the modern civil rights movement, and while he did so much good there, he was known mostly for his legendary MLB career. That remains true today, even though I and others insist on making sure people also know about Jackie's important role as a civil rights leader.
10. Did his family support him in baseball, or did they think there was no use trying to change the MLB?
Jackie felt tremendous support from his wife Rachel and his mother Mallie, and often said that he could not have shattered the color barrier in MLB had it not been for their support.
11. What impact did Jackie's MLB career have on the society?
Take a look at the ethnic make-up of all professional sports today, especially basketball, and it's easy to see that Jackie's efforts in 1947 have destroyed the color barrier in professional sports. Beyond that, however, Jackie influenced many civil rights activists and leaders who followed in his footsteps while advancing human rights in new and unique ways. There's a direct line from Jackie Robinson to Martin Luther King, Jr. to President Obama.
We sent these questions to Doctor Michael Long, an associate professor of Religious Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies at Elizabethtown College.
1. Why did the Dodgers want Jackie on their team, knowing that he was black?
Branch Rickey was a Methodist who believed in God and long felt that it was unfair for baseball to exclude people because the color of their God-given skin was black. He also believed that by including blacks in baseball he could sell more tickets to more fans and thereby make more money for himself and the owners. Rickey wanted Jackie in particular not only because he was a great ball player but also because he had a strong character that could withstand a lot of abuse without hitting back under pressure.
2. Why exactly was Jackie facing so many hardships from fans, and what caused them to stop?
Robinson faced many hardships because many whites at the time believed that blacks were inferior to whites, especially intellectually, and should not deserve the same privileges given to whites, Many of these whites learned to discriminate from examples set by their parents, religious and educational leaders, and politicians. Laws and customs in many parts of the United States denied blacks first class citizenship; in other words, they denied blacks the rights and privileges guaranteed white males in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
3. Did he still want to play in the MLB, even though he was facing so much hate?
Yes, Robinson was a fierce competitor, and although there were times he felt very down, he thought it important for blacks and whites that he continue to play hard especially in the face of so much hate.
4. Which players, other than Pee Wee Reese, stuck up for Jackie?
Ralph Branca did so. He was a Dodger who had already faced discrimination and prejudice, but for a different reason. Branca was Italian, and in years before Jackie joined the Dodgers, many Italians and Irish faced discrimination throughout the United States.
5. Was Jackie wanted on the team by the players?
It took a good long while before the players started to accept him as a valuable member of their team. When they began to see how excellent his skills were, as well as how strong his character was, they began to change their minds about him.
6. What caused Jackie to dedicate his life to playing baseball, knowing that only whites were in the MLB?
He did not dedicate his life to playing baseball, but he did dedicate his life to making the United States a place where blacks could enjoy their constitutional rights. He did this because he believed in the principles of equality and justice and because he wanted his children to have a better life than his.
7. Why did Jackie except the contract from Branch Rickey, knowing that life would be very hard from that point on?
Jackie accepted the contract because he loved playing baseball, wanted a job that would pay him well enough to have a stable family, desired to transform the color of baseball, and craved the type of competition that MLB offered.
8. Did his understanding of politics help him to become an important civil rights leader?
Several things helped Jackie become an important civil rights leader. He was well-respected in black and white communities because of his baseball career, and he realized that he could use his celebrity status to help blacks who had long been denied their constitutional rights. Unlike many athletes, jackie decided not to live the rest of his life merely on the golf course or in another place of leisure. He had a deep sense of obligation and often said he would not be free until the poorest person in Mississippi was free. And so he devoted his life to fighting for freedom and justice for all.
9. After he retired from baseball, was he known mostly for his legendary MLB career or his importance in the civil rights movement?
Jackie worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as the NAACP, during the modern civil rights movement, and while he did so much good there, he was known mostly for his legendary MLB career. That remains true today, even though I and others insist on making sure people also know about Jackie's important role as a civil rights leader.
10. Did his family support him in baseball, or did they think there was no use trying to change the MLB?
Jackie felt tremendous support from his wife Rachel and his mother Mallie, and often said that he could not have shattered the color barrier in MLB had it not been for their support.
11. What impact did Jackie's MLB career have on the society?
Take a look at the ethnic make-up of all professional sports today, especially basketball, and it's easy to see that Jackie's efforts in 1947 have destroyed the color barrier in professional sports. Beyond that, however, Jackie influenced many civil rights activists and leaders who followed in his footsteps while advancing human rights in new and unique ways. There's a direct line from Jackie Robinson to Martin Luther King, Jr. to President Obama.
We sent these questions to Doctor Michael Long, an associate professor of Religious Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies at Elizabethtown College.