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====Suggested Readings====
Robert Cottrell (2012) ''Two Pioneers: How Hank Greenberg and Jackie Robinson Transformed Baseball — and America''
Chris Lamb (2012) ''Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Long Campaign to Desegregate Baseball''
Arnold Rampersad (1997) ''Jackie Robinson: A Biography''
Admin moved page When Did Jackie Robinson Integrate Baseball and Why Is It Important? to When Did Jackie Robinson Integrate Baseball and Why Is It Important
[[File:Jackie_Robinson,_Brooklyn_Dodgers,_1954.jpg|250px|thumbnail|left|Jackie Robinson]]__NOTOC__
Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in major league baseball on April 15, 1947. He went 0 for 3. He reached base once, scoring a run in a Brooklyn Dodgers victory. As a statistical line it was not the most auspicious of debuts. That Robinson debuted at all was the greatest accomplishment of the day.
After that first game without a hit, Robinson settled into the season, batting .300 for most of the campaign and leading the team in home runs, stolen bases and total bases. The Dodgers took the New York Yankees to a game seven in the 1947 World Series, ultimately losing the championship 4 games to 3.
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Robinson’s debut had an almost immediate impact throughout baseball. In July of 1947 Larry Doby became the first African-American to play for an American League team, the Cleveland Indians. Others followed in 1947, Willard Brown and Henry Thompson were briefly called up for the St. Louis Browns. Dan Bankhead pitched in three games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as well. Though Robinson and Doby were the only two to stay for an extended period of time from that 1947 class, it was clear that the color line was a thing of the past.
Jackie Robinson is remembered for that day in April 1947, but for so much more as well. Not only was the first African-American to play Major League baseball, he did it under extraordinary circumstances. He experienced the full force of American racism both on and off the field. He stood up to that racism during his playing career and well beyond. Jackie Robinson’s fight against discrimination and inequality didn’t end with his Major League debut, it had barely started. His stellar career and continued activism afterward are what make him a hero.
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VE0-ynbg4A</youtube>
====Suggested Readings====
Robert Cottrell, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597978426/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1597978426&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=3565e5b9e44886279dbc61966be1cdde Two Pioneers: How Hank Greenberg and Jackie Robinson Transformed Baseball — and America],'' Potomac Books, 2012.
Chris Lamb, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803210760/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803210760&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=0b9d7f3a62dc0b06bff688c06c9f4c45 Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Long Campaign to Desegregate Baseball],'' University of Nebraska Press, 2012.
Arnold Rampersad, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034542655X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=034542655X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=594526adf4db6c3e2de4c7263b5b08bf Jackie Robinson: A Biography],'' Ballantine Books, 1998.
====Bibliography====
Tygiel, J. (1983). ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195339282/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0195339282&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=bac520ef0988e0024acf626b39b762ff Baseball's great experiment: Jackie Robinson and his legacy].,'' New York: Oxford University Press.
Peterson, R. (1970) ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195076370/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0195076370&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=79f4d2deaf7cd106ab61d688207d3a00 Only the Ball was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams],'' New York, Oxford University Press.
Gurevitz, A. E. (2015). "Breaking Baseball’s Color Line." ''Arizona Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies'' Volume 4, 86-101.
[[Category:United States History]][[Category:Sports History]][[Category:African American History]][[Category:Wikis]]
