By 1865, African Americans were no longer enslaved persons.
However, they still weren’t allowed to do everything that white Americans could do.
In the late 1800s, many southern states passed laws that kept the races apart. African Americans had to go to separate schools. They had to eat in separate restaurants, and stay in separate hotels. They also had to use separate water fountains and train cars, and sit at the back of buses.
Up North, segregation wasn’t the law, but African Americans still lived in separate neighborhoods. That meant they went to separate schools. Most African Americans could only get the lowest-paying jobs, and they couldn’t get promoted. American society was split between white and black, and baseball reflected that.

▲ Americans first started playing games that were a lot like baseball in the early 1800s. However, teams were always changing members, not everyone played by the same rules, and no one got paid. The first recorded baseball game was played in Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 19, 1846. Alexander Cartright organized the game, and he made several rules that are still followed. Baseball soon became very popular. By the 1860s, people called it America’s national pastime. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings (above) began to pay its players. They became the first professional baseball team.

◀ In the early days of professional baseball, a few African Americans played on teams with white players. One of them was Moses “Fleet” Walker (second row, left). He played with the Toledo Blue Stockings. In 1883, Chicago White Stockings star Adrian “Cap” Anson refused to play the Blue Stockings, because Walker was in the lineup. However, the Blue Stockings’ manager insisted the game be played. Anson finally backed down. Afterward, Anson was able to make African American players sit out games when he played.

▲ Many whites refused to play on or against teams with African Americans. Some leagues had rules that kept teams from hiring African Americans. Others had unwritten rules that did the same. By 1900, there were no African Americans playing on major league teams.


▲ “Rube” Foster (first row, center) was one of the greatest African American players. He later co-owned the Chicago American Giants. Foster believed African American baseball teams would make more money if they had a league with a regular schedule. The league also could set rules to make the game more professional. League play would allow fans to compare teams. A league could also have championship games. In 1923, Foster formed the Negro National League. It was the first of many Negro leagues.

◀ Leroy “Satchel” Paige was a great pitcher. He played in the Negro leagues for 26 years. In 1948, after Jackie Robinson broke through major league baseball’s color barrier, Paige joined the Cleveland Indians. He was then 42 years old. In 1965, at the age of 59, he pitched three scoreless innings for the Oakland A’s.