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Civil Rights: Before You Could Say "Jackie Robinson"

I. Introduction - rationale, goals, target audience
Want to motivate your students to learn about segregation and the importance of cultural diversity? Here is a colorful unit, designed for grades four through eight, that illustrates how baseball reflected and led critical social shifts in American history from the Civil War to the modern-day Civil Rights movement. Beginning with the origin of the Negro leagues to Jackie Robinson's integration of Major League Baseball in 1947, untold stories of honor, courage, and perseverance are brought to life through interactive multicultural lessons spanning several subject areas.

II. Objectives - in completing this lesson, students will:
A. Examine historical data from various sources, including museum and library collections, artifacts, primary sources, oral testimonies, and Web sites.

B. Analyze documentation to determine which attributes of Jackie Robinson's character contributed to his success as a baseball player who broke the color barrier and, later, as a political activist.

C. Understand through dialogue and discussion, how the evolution of baseball coincided with significant cultural developments, such as: the abolition of slavery, Jim Crow laws, segregation, the Negro leagues, integration, and historical figures of those eras.

III. Preparing the Students
A. Background
For almost 100 years, African-American players were prevented from playing Major League Baseball simply because of their skin color. In order to play the game, they formed their own teams - known collectively as the Negro leagues. The heyday of the Negro leagues was from the 1920s through the late 1940s when Jackie Robinson broke the modern-day color barrier by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Negro leagues continued until 1960 when Baseball became completely integrated. Negro league players endured what some considered adverse conditions in order to play the game they loved.

B. Vocabulary
Abolish
Activist
Barnstorm
Civil Rights
Color Barrier
Contract
Courage
Demise
Discrimination
Expansion
Integration
Integrity
Jim Crow laws
Negro leagues
Perseverance
Prejudice
Racism
Rookie
Segregation
Slavery

C. Suggested Pre-Program Activities
1) In the Multi-Media Gallery of the Hall of Fame Web site (baseballhalloffame.org) find photographs of Moses Fleetwood Walker, Leroy "Satchel" Paige, Josh Gibson, Effa Manley, Rube Foster, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Walter "Buck" Leonard, Branch Rickey, and Jackie Robinson. If possible, print each photograph and identify one fact about each person. (NOTE: This activity is particularly important prior to a videoconference).

2) Read aloud the short book, "Teammates," by Peter Golenbock. Discuss as a class the significance of the relationship between Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese. Examine this relationship from the author's perspective by viewing an online interview at looseleafbookcompany.com/archives/0112/tr2.html.

3) Organize students into literature circles to read the books: "The Story of Jackie Robinson: Bravest Man in Baseball," by Margaret Davidson; "Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson" by Barry Denenberg; "Determination: The Story of Jackie Robinson," by Deborah Woodworth; or "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord. After each chapter, groups should discuss what they learned and felt, as well as key vocabulary terms, and figurative or descriptive language. Students should record individual perceptions in a daily journal.

4) Have students write a paragraph or story about the Negro leagues using vocabulary terms from this lesson.

5) Using the Hall of Fame's Web site, analyze primary source documents pertaining to the Negro leagues, such as newspaper articles, cartoons, photographs, and correspondence. Identify key quotes, phrases, language, or images that consistently reflect the history of this era. Sample activity pages are available online at baseballhalloffame.org.

6) Establish the time period by having students create a timeline connecting historical milestones of the early 1900s through 1950, including: World War I, the gradual advent of improved transportation and communication, passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 (giving women the right to vote), the Great Depression, World War II and Jackie Robinson's breaking baseball's color barrier.

IV. Presentation
If you are participating in a school visit or videoconference please do not review this section with your students. It will be taught as part of the presentation.

A. Opening
1) Display photographs of the 1924 Washington Senators and the 1924 Kansas City Monarchs, both of which were World Champions. Ask students to compare and contrast any visual differences between the two teams.

2) Show a photograph of a recent World Championship team. Elicit from students the similarities and differences between this photo and the earlier team photos.

B. Lesson*
1) Introduce the concept of racial segregation, following the Civil War and its impact on American society in the early 20th century. A good story to bridge the period of baseball history between the Civil War and the early 1900s is that of Moses Fleetwood Walker who, along with his brother Welday, became the first blacks to play on a major league baseball team in 1884. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Identify students by eye or hair color to simulate the experience of discrimination. Use pictorial or video examples, such as a photograph of a "colored" waiting room or a "blacks only" drinking fountain.

2) Discuss the origin, culture, and lifestyle of the Negro leagues as a result of segregation and the exclusion of black ballplayers from Major League Baseball. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Display a photograph of the 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords standing beside their team bus. Show brief video documentary, "Pride and Passion," about life in the Negro leagues.

3) Illustrate the geographic proximities of Negro leagues teams, showing that most were in the North and East. Explain the transportation implications of these locales. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Provide a blank map of the United States (PDF) and instruct students to research various states and cities where Negro leagues teams were based. Determine appropriate mapping activities based upon grade level. Print map from Hall of Fame Web site.

4) Acquaint students with significant characters in Negro league history, such as: Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Effa Manley, Rube Foster, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, Branch Rickey, and Jackie Robinson. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: When possible, ask students to display pre-printed photographs of these individuals and provide one fact about each.

5) Using the book "Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait," by Rachel Robinson, examine the role of Jackie Robinson in the integration of Baseball, discussing why he was selected by Branch Rickey to break the color barrier, as well as character attributes he exhibited to overcome the inherent challenges. Discuss his prior accomplishments as a collegiate athlete and as a military officer. Relate the story of his refusal in 1944 to go to the back of the bus while in the Army. Compare and contrast this episode with the famous experience of Rosa Parks in 1955. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: From the above mentioned book, use the following to illustrate Jackie Robinson's life and character: 1) photograph of Robinson as a college athlete; 2) photograph of Robinson in Army uniform; 3) photograph of Robinson with Branch Rickey; 4) photograph of Robinson with Brooklyn teammates; 5) sample of hate mail received by Robinson.

6) Talk about the subsequent demise of the Negro leagues in the 1950s and how the integration of Baseball was the precursor of the modern-day Civil Rights movement. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: List Negro leaguers who followed Robinson to the major leagues and won various awards. Find photograph of Robinson with Martin Luther King Jr.
*NOTE: Italicized activities are facilitated by the Hall of Fame during its videoconference and on-site education programs.

C. Conclusion
1) Summarize the influence of key figures and important milestones in the history of the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball.

2) Reference the accomplishments of past and present ethnic minority baseball players since the integration of the sport. Emphasize the instrumental role Jackie Robinson played in creating opportunities for their eventual success. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Display photos of current major league stars who are of African-American, Latino or Asian descent.

If you are participating in a school visit or videoconference please do not review this section with your students. It will be taught as part of the presentation.

V. Enrichment and Assessment Activities
A. Ask students to write a fictional newspaper account of a game involving Jackie Robinson. In the article, refer to his performance and the demeanor of the crowd. Include quotes from Robinson, his teammates and opponents.

B. Write a letter about Jackie Robinson to Branch Rickey. Choose one of the following and write it from that perspective: (1) a white fan in the Northern states; (2) an African-American fan in the Northern states; (3) a white fan in the Southern states; (4) an African-American fan in the Southern states; (5) a fellow team owner opposed to integration; and (6) a fellow team owner in favor of integration. Try to use ideas and feelings each person might have actually expressed.

C. The poem, "Dream Deferred," by Langston Hughes is a commentary on the postponement of a vision. Read the poem and answer the following questions. Hughes uses many images to tell what may happen to a "Dream Deferred." Choose one of these images and explain what it means to you. What do you think the last line means? How is this literary work relevant to Jackie Robinson's integration of Baseball? Write your own poem related to the "dream" or how Jackie Robinson helped begin to fulfill the dream.

D. Develop a role play scene or skit to recreate one of the following situations: (1) Jackie Robinson's first interview with Branch Rickey; (2) the presentation of a petition by some Brooklyn Dodgers in an attempt to prevent Robinson from playing with them. Manager Leo Durocher and General Manager Branch Rickey refuse the petition; (3) Robinson in a game situation dealing with hostile, abusive fans.

E. Write a creative story about Jackie Robinson or a famous Negro leagues player. Incorporate in their proper context as many of the vocabulary terms for this lesson as is possible.

F. Using a digital camera, ask students to create their own baseball trading card. The front should show the player in full uniform of a Negro leagues team, holding either a bat or glove and ball. The back of the card may show a smaller view of the player and should list personal reflections on Jackie Robinson's greatest achievement, as well as how he or she can make the world a better place by ending prejudice and promoting racial harmony.

G. Using an artistic medium, such as sculpture, paint, or illustration, create an award for Jackie Robinson or another prominent Negro leagues figure that commemorates a scene from his or her life, a great achievement, or significant contributions as a humanitarian.

H. One of the Negro leagues' most popular routines was called Shadow Ball in which the defensive team in the field would warm up with a diving catch of a line drive. A hard grounder would be scooped up and thrown on the run to the first baseman, who dug the ball out of the ground and make the out - all without a ball. In small teams, create an inning of Shadow Ball with no words. Come up with some great plays, and after rehearsing, present your routine to the class.

I. Create a PowerPoint presentation that chronicles the history of the Negro leagues, including some of its most successful figures and milestones. When appropriate, integrate photographs, statistics, graphs, primary source documents, text, audio or video files, and key vocabulary terms.

VI. Additional Resources
A. Literature
Denenberg, Barry. Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson. Scholastic Books, 1997.

Golenbock, Peter. Teammates. Voyager/HBJ, 1990.

Lord, Bette Bao. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. Harper Trophy, 1986.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Baseball As America. National Geographic Books, 2002.

Riley, James A. The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Carroll and Graf Publishers, Inc. 1994.

Robinson, Jackie and Robinson, Sharon. Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By. Scholastic Trade, 2001.

Robinson, Jackie, as told to Alfred Duckett. I Never Had It Made. Ecco Press, 1997.

Robinson, Rachel. Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait. Harry N. Abrams, 1996

B. Web Links
baseballhalloffame.org
Official site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

nlbm.com
The Negro Leagues Museum

nlbpa.com
The Negro Leagues Baseball Players Association

memory.loc.gov/ammem/jrhtml/jrhome.html
The Library of Congress

looseleafbookcompany.com/archives/0112/tr2.html
Interview with Peter Golenbock, author of the book "Teammates"

wmich.edu/politics/mlk/
Civil Rights Timeline

memory.loc.gov/ammemjrhtml/jrbib.html
Library of Congress, American Memory Collection

jackierobinson.com
Official Jackie Robinson Web Site

jackierobinson.org/aboutjackie/index.html
Jackie Robinson Foundation

teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-3336.html
Other Lesson Plans Related to Jackie Robinson

C. Multi-Media Gallery
1) Video available at baseballhalloffame.org
a) Actor Gregory Gibson Kenney portraying Jackie Robinson
b) Pride and Passion documentary on the Negro leagues
c) Documentary on Jackie Robinson
d) Oral history interviews with Negro league veterans

2) Recommended Movies for In-Class Viewing
a) A&E Biography Series: Jackie Robinson A&E Home Video, 1991
b) Baseball, A Film by Ken Burns: Shadow Ball, Inning 5 BMG Video Service, 1994
c) Kings on the Hill: Baseball's Forgotten Men San Pedro Productions, 1994

3) Photographs available at baseballhalloffame.org
a) Leroy "Satchel" Paige
b) Josh Gibson
c) Effa Manley
d) Rube Foster
e) James "Cool Papa" Bell
f) Walter "Buck" Leonard
g) Jackie Robinson with Branch Rickey
h) Jackie Robinson in Montreal and Brooklyn uniforms
i) Jackie Robinson as athlete at UCLA
j) Jackie Robinson in Army uniform
k) Jackie Robinson with Dodger teammates
l) Jackie Robinson with Martin Luther King Jr.
m) 1924 Washington Senators
n) 1924 Kansas City Monarchs
o) Recent World Championship team
p) Moses Fleetwood Walker
q) Pittsburgh Crawfords by team bus
r) Current African-American, Latino and Asian All-Stars

4) Primary Source Documents available at baseballhalloffame.org
a) Sample hate mail received by Jackie Robinson
b) Jackie Robinson's Hall of Fame plaque
c) The Sporting News articles, November 1, 1945
d) The Sporting News articles, April 23, 1947
e) Cartoon from The Sporting News, January 26, 1949
f) The Sporting News article, August 7, 1957
g) Letter from Sen. John Kennedy to Jackie Robinson, July 1, 1960
h) The Sporting News article, November 11, 1972
i) From the Collection: Jackie Robinson Scrapbook

D. For Videoconferencing
1) Blank map of United States (PDF)

2) Photographs and Documents

VII. Relevant National Learning Standards
A. U.S. History
1) Students understand the course and character of the Civil War and its subsequent effects on the American people.

2) Students understand the struggle for racial equality and for the extension of civil liberties.

3) Students explain the resistance to civil rights in the South between 1954 and 1965 by identifying issues and problems in the past.

4) Students evaluate the agendas, strategies and effectiveness of various African Americans in the quest for civil rights and equal opportunities by explaining historical continuity and change.

5) Students assess the reasons for and effectiveness of the escalation from civil disobedience to more radical protest in the civil rights movement.

B. Social Studies
1) Students understand how a culture changes to accommodate different ideas and beliefs.

2) Students explain why individuals and groups respond differently to their physical and social environments and/or changes to them on the basis of shared assumptions, values and beliefs.

3) Students assess their historical roots and are able to locate themselves in time by reconstructing the past, developing an historical perspective and understanding the linkages between human decisions and consequences.

4) Students understand the relationships among social norms and emerging personal identities, the social processes that influence identify formation and the ethical principles underlying individual action.

5) Students create spatial views and geographic perspectives of the world beyond their personal locations.

6) Students learn how institutions are formed, what controls and influences them, how they influence individuals and culture and how they are maintained or changed.

7) Students understand the historical development of structures of power, authority and governance, and their evolving functions in contemporary U.S. society.

8) Students address such issues as human rights, economic competition and interdependence and age-old ethnic enmities.

9) Students understand civic ideals and practices of citizenship, such as the balance between rights and responsibilities.

C. Language Arts
1) Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

2) Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

3) Students adjust their use of spoken, written and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

4) Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language and genre to create, critique and discuss print and non-print texts.

5) Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

6) Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather, research and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

7) Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions and social roles.

8) Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

9) Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion and the exchange of information).

D. Fine and Visual Arts
1) Students, individually and in groups, create characters, environments and actions that create tension and suspense.

2) Students analyze descriptions, dialogue, and actions to discover, articulate and justify character motivation and invent character behaviors based on the observation of interactions, ethical choices and emotional responses of people.

3) Students, in an ensemble, interact as the invented characters.

4) Students lead small groups in planning visual and aural elements and in rehearsing improvised and scripted scenes, demonstrating social, group and consensus skills.

5) Students apply research from print and non-print sources, as well as cultural and historical information, to script writing, acting, design and directing choices.

6) Students articulate and support the meanings constructed from their and others' dramatic performances.

7) Students describe and evaluate the perceived effectiveness of their contributions to the collaborative process of developing improvised and scripted scenes.

8) Students integrate visual, spatial and temporal concepts with content to communicate intended meaning in their artworks.

9) Students use subjects, themes and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values and aesthetics to communicate intended meaning in artworks.

VIII. Planning a Videoconference?
A. Videoconference Checklist (PDF)