To what extent is Jackie Robinson the father of the civil rights movement?

Transcription

1 To what extent is Jackie Robinson the father of the civil rights movement? Candidate Name: Pieter Bednar Candidate #: Extended Essay Subject: History Lincoln Community School Word Count: 3678

2 Abstract: The civil rights movement was one of the more storied events in the United States. Its leaders ranged from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. However, one leader of the civil rights movement that is often over looked is Jackie Robinson who is best known for breaking the color line in Major League Baseball in To what extent though was Jackie Robinson involved in the civil rights movement? The answer to that is quite simple; Jackie Robinson was one of the founding fathers of the civil rights movement and he did this through his involvement in the military and by breaking the color line of Major League Baseball. The fact that Jackie Robinson is a father of the civil rights movement resonates with the commonly accepted father of the movement, Martin Luther King Jr. Without the actions of Jackie Robinson, which spoke much louder than words, the civil rights movement would not have been the same, and the USA wouldn t be the nation it is today.

3 Table of Contents pg 1...Introduction pg 1..Jackie Robinson and the Army pg 3...Jackie Robinson s Court Martial pg 4 Domestic Situation pg 5.Integration of the Army pg 5...Baseball pg 6...Obstacles in Breaking the Color Line pg 7.Reasons to Sign a Black Player pg 8..Jackie Robinson in Baseball pg 9..Martin Luther King Jr. on Jackie Robinson pg 10 Actions After Baseball pg 10...Conclusion pg 12.Works Cited

4 Introduction The history of the United States during the early to mid 20 th century was marked by the fact that the United States was a segregated nation. The fact that this is how the United States was viewed even with the efforts put forth by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to create equality among citizens is only too true of an assessment. The racial segregation, despite the formal abolition of slavery through the thirteenth amendment, was maintained through the Jim Crow laws. As time progressed and the United States entered the Second World War, the fact that the United States was a segregated nation became a more visible national and international issue, as the troops heading off to war marched in segregated columns. Due to the grand scale of the war, Major League Baseball lost a third of its man power, but ironically still remained segregated. How can it be that the military and the national pastime of such a great nation remained segregated? As the end of the war approached, and black troops came home with their white compatriots, some people started to realize the injustice and integration finally started to occur. The desegregation movement and the civil rights movement started in the United States thanks to the involvement of African Americans within the military and baseball. Who was the leader of this movement and how did s/he bring the movement about? As an African American, one man sparked the movement in both military and baseball. Through his leadership, Jackie Robinson was a father of the civil rights movement. Jackie Robinson and the Army The military is an essential body of any nation, and is perhaps the most public body of a nation, particularly when military personnel generally go abroad to protect their nation and if necessary to fight against other nations. The policy of racial segregation of the United 1

5 States military was brought to the forefront of the worlds view during the Second World War. Initially blacks held very few positions in the military; they were mainly airmen, shipmen or part of tank battalions and defense battalions that did no real fighting (The War). Jackie Robinson decided to enlist in the army due to financial difficulties. When Jackie Robinson first entered the military in 1942 he was assigned to a cavalry unit. In 1943, he applied to Officers Candidate School at Fort Riley Robinson was rejected and then off the record he was told that blacks were not included in the Officers Candidate School because they lacked leadership ability. When this occurred, rather than going to Army officials, Jackie Robinson went to a far more commanding figure, former boxing great, Joe Louis, who was also stationed at Fort Riley. Although Joe Louis was not a commissioned officer, he held a higher position in the military at Fort Riley than most black people in the military due to his stature as a world-class boxer. Joe Louis was able to organize a meeting between black members of the military for them to voice their grievances in the presence of a representative of the secretary of defense. Shortly after this meeting Jackie Robinson achieved his goal and he and fellow African Americans were admitted to Officers Candidate School for the first time. (Tygiel). Jackie Robinson, who graduated as a second lieutenant, and the other officers that were admitted were the first African American officers in the military, and this action was the first time Jackie Robinson made a stand against segregation and foreshadowed what he would do later on in life. Based on this information many people might say that Joe Louis is an important father of the civil rights movement as he organized the meeting that eventually led to Jackie Robinson being admitted to the Officers Candidate School. However it is very difficult to do so, seeing as it wasn t Joe Louis who initiated the effort and Joe Louis would not have been involved had it not been for Jackie Robinson s persistent wish to be involved in the Officers Candidate School (Tygiel). Jackie Robinson took the risk to fight for what he saw were his rights. 2

6 Jackie Robinson s Court Martial Jackie Robinson took risks that furthered the civil rights movement. While in the military, Jackie Robinson was given a court martial in August of 1944, for refusing a direct order. The order he refused to follow was one that stated that all black members of the military had to sit in the back of transport buses (Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson). Jackie Robinson was not actually the first do to this. Henry Williams, a member of the military was shot and killed on a civilian bus, by the driver in August of 1942 for refusing to obey the civilian law and move to the back of the bus (The War). Now it may seem as though Jackie Robinson was emulating the actions of Williams by refusing to sit in the back of the bus, but with Jackie Robinson being an officer, the effects of Jackie Robinson s actions had a greater overall effect on the fledgling civil rights movement. When Jackie Robinson was issued his court martial he feared a conspiracy as he had been charged with insubordination, disturbing the peace, drunkenness, conduct unbecoming an officer, insulting a civilian and refusing to obey the lawful orders of a superior officer (Tygiel). This was quite a long list of charges against him, all things considered. However when Jackie Robinson went on trial for the court martial, the more serious offenses were dropped and he was only charged with insubordination. Jackie Robinson s fear of a conspiracy was not without reason as during the Second World War, according to historian Jack D. Foner, many black soldiers were unjustly court-martialed either because the officers presiding over hearing assumed the their guilt regardless of the evidence or because they wanted to set an example for other black soldiers (Tygiel). Even though this was the case, a white jury found Jackie Robinson not guilty. This act by Jackie Robinson opposing segregationist policies foreshadows the importance that Jackie Robinson would have in the civil rights movement within the United States. Many historians argue that the fact that the person who broke the 3

7 color barrier in the military and in baseball had refused to move to the back of the bus influenced the actions of Rosa Parks when she refused to move to the back of the bus. Domestic Situation Many African Americans saw an opportunity in the Second World War to pursue a Double V campaign: a victory over the enemy abroad and a victory over discrimination at home (Davidson). Clearly they achieved their goal regarding the victory over the enemy abroad and managed to achieve the victory at home over discrimination. An early victory at home came when Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered that any industries (especially the arms industry) working with the government end discrimination in hiring (Davidson). Although discrimination in hiring had been officially abolished a fair amount of indirect discrimination still continued. Due to the booming wartime economy, many people started to move to the cities. In response to this, the National Housing Agency provided new housing units to accommodate the larger populations in the city. When this was done in Mobile Alabama, a total of 14,000 units were provided for white workers while only 1,000 units were provided for African Americans (The War). This was a huge victory because housing had never before been provided for African Americans. Due to the fact that President Roosevelt realized that discrimination and segregation were such an issue within the work place, the people believed that there was a chance that he might order changes to take place in other areas of society. This action by FDR was the first motion in the civil rights movement and even preceded the actions of Jackie Robinson and led to the belief that equality could be achieved. Even though FDR is credited for the integration of the workforce, he was still adamant that the military remain segregated (Davidson). He strongly believed this despite the positive impact that black soldiers and black only troops had during the Second World War. Although many people would say that FDR played an important role in the civil rights 4

8 movement within the US, the impact that his actions had was very minimal His steadfast opposition to the integration of the army stops him from being seen as the father of the civil rights movement rather than Jackie Robinson. Integration of the Army The president after FDR, Harry S Truman, was also a possible predecessor to Jackie Robinson as the father of the civil rights movement (Davidson). In 1948 President Truman ordered that the military be fully integrated. The only reason that Jackie Robinson is viewed as the father of the civil rights movement rather than President Truman, is because Jackie Robinson broke the color line for baseball in 1947, while Truman was a year late with the integration of the military. However, the fact that Truman was willing to integrate the military is a testimony to his belief of equality, and is also a testimony to the feeling of society as a whole, as people reluctantly began to accept in small ways the validity of equal rights. Therefore, although Truman cannot be seen as a leader in the civil rights movement, he did have a major impact, as he was responsible for the integration of the military. With the military finally being fully integrated, all be it after the Second World War, the fact that black and white troops could fight side by side to defeat totalitarian governments, the hypocrisy of America s national pastimes segregated status was pushed into the limelight. Baseball Baseball is arguably the greatest sport within the United States and is undoubtedly its national pastime. As this is the case, the sport has continuously been under scrutiny, none more so than at the end of the Second World War, when the Major Leagues remained segregated. Although baseball is often credited with being the first organization to break the color line, it was also the first to institute a color line, when it had all black players out of the Major Leagues by 1867 (Segregated Baseball: A Kaleidoscopic review). The fact that the 5

9 national pastime remained segregated for such a long time was perhaps one of the many driving forces behind the decision of Branch Rickey, the manager to sign Jackie Robinson, to break the color line. Having lost so many players to the war effort, one would have expected Major League Baseball would be ready for integration. The opposite was actually true. There were many instances where the Major League teams preferred to sign schoolboys, over-aged journeyman and physically handicapped white players than able-bodied African Americans. Perhaps the greatest insult came in 1944 when a Major League team signed Pete Gray, a onearmed white player to pitch in the Major Leagues (Bedingfield). It is quite possible that the only reason Major League teams were willing to sign these players rather than African Americans was simply because the general managers felt that the time was not right to sign an African American, or they felt they weren t able to locate a player of the sufficient caliber to play in the Major Leagues (Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson). Obstacles in Breaking the Color Line There were a great number of obstacles that stood in the way of teams and players willing to break the color line. Economics was a fundamental obstacle. Ironically, many of the Major League teams rented their stadiums to the Negro League teams, and if the best players of the Negro Leagues joined the Major Leagues, the Negro Leagues would go under, representing a significant loss in revenue for the owners of the stadiums (Segregated baseball: A Kaleidoscopic review). Secondly, many owners of baseball teams felt that predominantly white audiences would not be willing to watch a baseball game with black players. Thirdly there was an issue in terms of the player who was chosen to break the color line. The player chosen had to be skilled enough to earn the respect from his peers on the playing field, and he 6

10 had to have the off-field demeanor to maintain composure and avoid any incidents due to his breaking the color line (Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson). Reasons to sign a black player Although it seems as if the main reason to not sign an African American player was economic, the opposite was actually true when Branch Rickey decided to sign Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier. Branch Rickey believed that in order to generate revenue, a team had to have the best team possible on the field at all times, regardless of race. Therefore he went out and got the best players he could, and signed Jackie Robinson. Branch Rickey believed that Jackie Robinson would be able to succeed in Major League Baseball as he was a natural athlete, having lettered in four sports at UCLA and he was also an important part of the Kansas City Monarchs, a leading Negro League team. Although his initial reason for signing Jackie Robinson was economic, he later claimed that he was also a firm believer in equal rights, which was part of the equation in his decision to sign Jackie Robinson (Denenberg). When baseball as a sport was finally integrated, many Major League players vehemently opposed the idea of playing on the same field as a black player. Despite the strong opposition by players Major League Baseball management was determined enough to maintain its course towards integration. I don t care if half the league strikes. This is the United States of America and one citizen has as much right to play as another, was stated by then Commissioner Ford Frick when he addressed the St. Louis Cardinals players who planned to strike when the then Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson came to town to play in 1947 (MacDonald). The Commissioner s viewpoint was one of the more forward looking of the time, and because of this willingness to play a black player regardless of the consequences is a testimony to the importance Ford Frick and baseball in general placed on 7

11 integration, which is one of the reasons why it must be seen as one of the founding organizations of integration within the United States. Jackie Robinson in Baseball Jackie Robinson was the first black player in Major League baseball. He opened the door for other black players to follow, such as Larry Doby, who became first black player to join the American League in 1947, the same year Jackie Robinson signed on to play in the National League. Because other people were able to follow in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson, he can only be seen as a leader of the civil rights movement and he was well ahead of his time in terms of starting and maintaining this movement. Secondly, due to the success Jackie Robinson had, many other teams were enticed to sign a black player. By 1959, every Major League team had at least one black player on its roster. This was essential because it shows that baseball was truly willing to fully integrate, albeit at a fairly slow pace compared to an organization such as the military. However the integration of baseball is far more significant because it was done as a choice, rather than by edict, which is the case with the integration of the military. Perhaps the most telling sign that Jackie Robinson made an influence on the standpoint of integration within the US is the award he got at the end of his first season. The Sporting News, a newspaper that was decidedly against integration of any kind perhaps gave Jackie Robinson the greatest honor when they named him its first Rookie of the Year in 1947, and later has renamed the award in his honor (Everything s set for Civil Rights Game). The fact that a group of people who were strongly against integration could give a black player such a prestigious award is a testimony to the impact that Jackie Robinson had as a whole on the psyche of the United States and on how non-blacks viewed blacks within the United States.. A great testament to the impact that Jackie Robinson had on Major League Baseball 8

12 and America as a whole is that 60 years after Jackie Robinson first won the Rookie of the year Award it is still named in his honor and will remain named in his honor (Everything s set for Civil Rights Game). Jackie Robinson was the flag bearer for integration in the United States and within baseball in general. Due to the efforts put forth by Jackie Robinson and others, it allowed other people to achieve a lifelong goal of playing in Major League Baseball. Jackie Robinson set the stage for other players, such as Larry Doby and Stachel Paige to join him in the League and gave Frank Robinson (no relation to Jackie Robinson) the chance to become the first African American manager in 1975 (Segregated baseball: A Kaleidoscopic review). Perhaps what is the most telling about Jackie Robinson s impact is that he also gave other ethnicities the opportunity to join baseball when the first Asian player, Masanori Murakami, joined Major League Baseball in The fact that Major League Baseball teams had dipped into the Asian market to sign players follows Branch Rickey s logic that putting the best players on the field is what matters most, no matter what the race of the player. Therefore Jackie Robinson was essential in starting the integration process within the United States and he was very much responsible for opening the doors to players in future generations, such as Daisuke Matsuzaka and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jackie Robinson For many people the question may be why Jackie Robinson should be considered the father of the civil rights movement as opposed to Martin Luther King Jr. who had an immense effect on the civil rights movement. The answer to that is quite simple; Martin Luther King Jr. once said [Jackie Robinson] has the right, because back in the days when integration wasn t fashionable, he underwent the trauma and the humiliation and the loneliness which comes with being a pilgrim walking the lonesome byways toward the high 9

13 road of Freedom. He was a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides (Rampersad). This quote clearly shows that Martin Luther King Jr. himself believed Jackie Robinson was well ahead of his time, and therefore a father of the civil rights movement. If the one that many people believe to be the father of the civil rights movement believes otherwise, it is very hard to go against him, and therefore Jackie Robinson must be seen as a father of the movement. Actions after baseball Not only was Jackie Robinson a father of the civil rights movement; he was also an activist within the movement. As previously stated, it all started off while he was in the military and built up to when he broke the color line in While in baseball he faced multiple challenges and continued his fight for civil rights. Once he retired from baseball he still fought for civil rights. As a retiree, he organized a march on the White House in He led a march of 10,000 high school students in the Youth March for Integrated Schools in Washington D.C. The purpose of the march was to protest the brutality suffered by black children seeking integrated education in the South. The march was a great success, and shortly thereafter, the schools in the Washington D.C. area started integration (Rampersad). After the first successful Youth March for Integrated Schools, Jackie Robinson took it upon himself to lead another march in April This time the march consisted of over 30,000 marchers, blacks and whites inclusive (Rampersad). Conclusion In conclusion, the United States remained a segregated nation well into the 1950s, but there are certain areas of society that managed to segregate ahead of time. The two aspects of society that managed to integrate ahead of the curve was the military and in the sport of baseball. Jackie Robinson, who was on the front lines of both military and baseball 10

14 integration, broke the color line and was the first African American to play in the Major Leagues when he played for the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers in Although this is a massive step towards integration within the United States, it took until 1959 for baseball to become fully integrated when every single team in Major League baseball had a black player. The military on the other hand had the ability to integrate immediately and this occurred in 1948 when an order to integrate was given by President Truman. The year that Truman chose to integrate the army was a safe bet, because there was no need for the integrated armies at the time and Jackie Robinson had already broken the color line by integrating baseball and had already broken the color line in the military by becoming one of the first African American officers. As a whole, both the sport of baseball and the military were essential in starting the desegregation process within the United States, as both areas managed to integrate well before any civil rights movements took place within the United States. However, the impact of the integration of the organizations differs. Given that both organizations were integrated successfully, the difference is in the impact that integration generated. The integration of the military was important because it is essential that the organization that defends a nation portray the forward thinking viewpoints of that nation. On the other hand, even though as a whole Major League Baseball was far slower in completing total integration the impact that the integration of America s national past time was far more evident than the impact of the integration of the military. Therefore at the time there is no doubt that Jackie Robinson is the father of the civil rights movement, being the individual to integrate baseball and without him, there very well may be the chance that the United States would not be the integrated nation it is today. 11

15 Works Cited Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson Library of Congress. 17 Jan < Bedingfield, Gary. Baseball in Wartime. to Author. 16 Jan Davidson, James W., and Michael B. Stoff. The American Nation. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Denenberg, Barry. Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson. New York: Scholastic Inc., Everything s set for Civil Rights Game. Major League Baseball Jan < ews_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb> Kranz, Rachel and Philip J. Koslow. The Biographical Dictionary of African Americans. New York: Facts on File, MacDonald, Allan. Personal Interview. 7 Feb Rampersad, Arnold. Jackie Robinson: A Biography. New York: Random House, Inc., Segregated baseball: A Kaleidoscopic review. Major League Baseball: Negro Leagues Legacy Jan < The War. Dir. Ken Burns. PBS Home Video Tygiel, Jules. The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson. American Heritage Magazine. Aug/Sept Aug < 12