It wasn’t known to any big names in baseball that Branch Rickey had

already set in motion the events which would lead to the historic breakthrough.

This breakthrough being the breaking of the color barrier. He planned to break

Jackie Robinson into the Major Leagues.

Branch Rickey was raised in Ohio in a strict Methodist family, Rickey,

nicknamed by sportswriters as "The Deacon" and "The Mahatma," had paid his

way through college and law school playing and coaching baseball. His talent as

a catcher earned him two years in the major leagues. In 1913, he abandoned a

possible law career to manage the St. Louis Browns. In 1917 he began a twenty-

five year career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Rickey was the field manager of the

Cardinals from 1919-1925, after that he became the club's vice-president and

business manager.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Rickey perfected the farm system, whereby a

major league team controlled young, undeveloped players through a chain of

minor league franchises. This innovation allowed the Cardinals to compete

respectably with richer teams in larger cities. They won pennants for the "Gas

House Gang," as it was called, and allowed the team to profitably sell off extra

talent.

In 1942, when Rickey left the Cardinals and took control of the Brooklyn

Dodgers, he informed the Dodger ownership of his intentions to recruit black

players in the near future. Rickey never clearly explained the motivations for this

huge turnaround. At times Rickey cited moral considerations, stating, "I couldn't
face my God much longer knowing that His black creatures are held separate

and distinct from His white creatures in the game that has given me all I own."

In Robinson, Rickey had found a rare combination of athletic ability, competitive

fire, intelligence, maturity, and poise. Born in Georgia and raised in Pasadena,

California, Robinson had won respect at UCLA as the nation's greatest all-around

athlete, earning All-America honors in football, establishing broad-jump records,

and leading his basketball conference in scoring, all in addition to his baseball

exploits. In 1942, he enlisted in the army where he attended officer's candidate

school and became a lieutenant. Two years later, while stationed in Texas,

Robinson's refusal to move to the back of a bus resulted in a court martial and

ultimate acquittal. This incident showed his commitment to the cause of equal

rights.

After his discharge from the army, Robinson joined the Monarchs and got

picked to start spot in the 1945 East-West All-Star Game. Robinson's college

education, experience in interracial athletics, and army career bettered his

playing talents, but his fiery pride and temper seemed a potential obstacle to his

success.

On August 28, 1945, Robinson met with Rickey at the latter's Brooklyn

offices. Rickey revealed his bold plan to integrate organized baseball and asked

Robinson to accept the primary role. By the end of the session, Robinson had

signed a contract to play for the Montreal Royals in the International League, the

top farm team in the Brooklyn system. Rickey promised that if Robinson's

performance showed it, he would be promoted to the Dodgers without hesitance.

 Robinson's first test came at spring training in Florida in 1946. Thrown

into the far South where Jim Crow reigned supreme, Robinson and black pitcher

John Wright, whom Rickey had recruited to room with Robinson, found

themselves unable to room with their teammates and unable to play in

Jacksonville and other Florida cities. In addition, a shoulder injury hindered

Robinson's performance, raising doubts about his abilities.

The thing I found most interesting about Jackie Robinson was the fact that

he could actually live with all the harassment that was sent his way. I admire the

essential quality of him being so strong, and being able to play as well as he did

under pressure. There are many obvious reasons why this person is important,

and this story is important. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the great

game of baseball, this helped baseball, and also helped the whole ordeal having

to do with equal rights in this country.