April 15, 1946 was an important event in not only baseball history but also in the history of America. Thousands of baseball fans crowded into Ebbits Field to see one man, the first black ever to play in Major League Baseball, and one man who would eventually put an end to segregation in baseball. That one man's name is Jack Roosevelt Robinson, otherwise known as Jackie Robinson. His struggle to break the color barrier helped set the standards for future black athletes to come.

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, to Millie and Jerry Robinson. He was the youngest of five children and always wanted his life to be better than it was. At age five, Jackie's father left home and his mother moved the family to California. Because his father wasn't around to help, they were supported by welfare. As a result of this, Jackie had to work several jobs to help support the family. He was involved in several crimes and robberies with the Pepper Street Gang but with the help of Carl

Anderson and Reverend Karl Downs this life of crime didn't last long. Both men were able to point Jackie in a positive direction by having him focus on athletics.

Toward the end of the season, things were starting to get better. Jackie finally got the respect from everyone including his teammates. The pitches at his head stopped, most racial slurs stopped, and Jackie was finally being treated like a baseball player(Aaron 24). It was obvious that people were looking beyond the color of his skin and finally realizing that Jackie Robinson was indeed a good baseball player.

leagues may rank among the highest of achievements in African- American History.

Jackie began his professional baseball career in 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs. Because of the segregation in America, black communities formed their own version of Major League Baseball. The result of this was the beginning of the Negro Leagues. From 1920, when the first national league was founded, until 1946, when Jackie first stepped across the color barrier into organized baseball, the Negro Leagues, grew , matured, overcame hardships and even flourished ( Rogsin 6). In fact, the Negro Leagues became one of the largest most successful black businesses in the United States before the breakdown of segregation (Rogsin 6 ). The management of the two

ie attended Pasadena Junior College. He then received a scholarship to UCLA where he excelled in every sport he played. He was the first black to be successful in playing all four varsity team sports. Although he was a good athlete, Jackie didn't complete his senior year of college. Instead, he joined the National Youth Administration where he played baseball to entertain campers and worked with children.

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Approximate Word count = 1060
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)