The groundbreaking life of baseball hero Jackie Robinson, for kids, is covered in dynamic detail here, from his early days in Georgia to his star turn as a Brooklyn Dodger – and the first black player in the big leagues.
Only one major league baseball player has ever had his jersey number retired from use in his honor – can you guess who that is? None other than Jackie Robinson, who – as some baseball-loving kids probably already know – broke the color barrier as a Brooklyn Dodger back in the ’40s, paving the way for other players of color. In this unit, the barrier-busting life of Jackie Robinson, for kids, gets the full run-down, from his early days as a spirited child, growing up on a plantation in Georgia, to his eventual inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Kids will learn how Robinson stood up to discrimination as a young soldier during World War II, refusing to sit in the “Negro” section of a military bus, and how he took this attitude of quiet determination with him when he joined the Dodgers as the first black player in 1947. Although fans and other players taunted him, he never once responded to their attacks. He turned out to be not only a great player – he was named Rookie of the Year, and later, Most Valuable Player – but a great man who opened doors for others. After retiring, he was active in the civil rights movement, and his foundation continues to give scholarships to deserving black college students. Jackie Robinson, for kids interested in real sports heroes, definitely fits the bill.
7 Topics in this unit
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A Legend in His Own Time
History was made on April 15, 1947.
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A Segregated Society
By 1865, African Americans were no longer enslaved persons.
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Young Jackie
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, on a plantation near Cairo, Georgia, ...
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Robinson Joins the Army
After two years, Jackie Robinson left UCLA without getting his degree.
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Major League Baseball
Branch Rickey had been wanting to hire African American baseball players for a long time.& ...
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Robinson After Baseball
Jackie Robinson was 28 when he started playing major league baseball, and for ten years, h ...
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The Robinson Legacy
Jackie Robinson paved the way for other African Americans to enter professional baseball.& ...
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