Jackie Robinson

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives" (Jackie Robinson). This famous quote, Made by Jackie Robinson, shows how much he cared about other people, despite the racial discrimination and hatred he put up with. Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major leagues in 1947, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson is a hero because of his determination, his hard work, and his selflessness on and off of the field. He faced great discrimination and hatred, but was determined to keep going and doing so has made him a hero to be remembered.

Jackie Robinson was a very determined and courageous person who stood up for his rights. This is shown when he is quoted by CNN as  saying, "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being."In this quote he directly addresses his point that he does not care about what people think of him, but only wants them to respect him and treat him like the person that he was. This shows great determination on the baseball field because he shows how he just wants to put aside discrimination and just play the game of baseball. Another example of this courageousness happened off the field. As stated by the authors at Biography.com, "During boot camp in 1944 in Fort Hood, Texas, Robinson was arrested and court-martialed after refusing to give up his seat and move to the back of a segregated bus when ordered to by the driver." This quote exemplifies how even off the field, he was a courageous and determined person and would always stick up for his own rights. Jackie Robinson went out of his way to stand up for his rights, even if it meant being put on trial for it. These quotes show how courageous he was and how much of an impact he had on civil rights.

Jackie Robinson worked hard regardless of the circumstances and always had a positive attitude while doing so. This is best shown by the authors at Biography.com, when they say, "Despite the racial abuse, particularly at away games, Robinson had an outstanding start with the Royals, leading the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage." Jackie Robinson faced great segregation on the field of play. Players on other Major league teams would refuse to play against the dodgers and would yell racist slang sayings at Robinson while he was batting. Despite all the hate that he put up with, he still managed to end up with one of the best batting averages and Fielding percentages of all time. This is again proven when the authors at History.com say, "Despite his skill, Robinson faced a barrage of insults and threats because of his race. The courage and grace with which Robinson handled the abuses inspired a generation of African Americans to question the doctrine of "separate but equal" and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement." This quote directly proves the point that he was faced with hatred and discrimination, but was still able to do great things. Both of these quotes show how determined and hardworking Jackie Robinson was, and how much of an impact he was and still is to the world of baseball.

  Even though Jackie Robinson was a courageous, hardworking man, the trait that made him most heroic was his selflessness. In a time of great discrimination against blacks, Jackie Robinson was selfless enough to put up with the hatred and joined the military. "From 1942 to 1944, Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He never saw combat, however." (Biography.com). Jackie Robinson fought for his country even when his country wouldn't fight for him. In his time in the military he was bombarded with hatred and even received death threats. He was later court martialled for refusing to give up his seat and was consequently discharged from the military. His selflessness is again shown in this quote, "After his retirement Robinson became a successful businessman and active supporter of political causes, devoting many of his efforts to the pursuit of a better life for African Americans. He became a vice president in the Chock Full O'Nuts restaurant chain, whose restaurants employed many blacks. He also worked with the Harlem YMCA in New York City and was made chairman of the board of the Freedom National Bank, a project in black capitalism. He later became the head of a construction company that built housing for black families and was involved in other ventures that stimulated black participation in business." (Jackie Robinson." Contemporary Black Biography.) After baseball, Jackie Robinson worked at a restaurant that helped blacks and later went on to serve at the Freedom National Bank. Jackie Robinson's selflessness did not go unappreciated however, because in 1962, his number was admitted into baseball's Hall of Fame. Jackie Robinson's selflessness allowed him to help others and ultimately lead him to the waiting hall of fame.

Jackie Robinson died from heart problems and diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in Stamford, Connecticut. He is a hero and possibly one of the greatest professional athletes to ever live. Jackie Robinson is remembered by the number 42 and his courageous and selfless acts of kindness to others. Jackie Robinson will always be remembered by others as the man who broke baseball's color barrier and what he went through while doing so. As Jackie Robinson once said; "There's not an American in this country free until every one of us is free."