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Classroom · Grades 5–12

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson’s integration of Major League Baseball was a highly visible breach of Jim Crow, and he treated it as the start of a longer struggle for civil rights.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 5–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 5 (Individuals, Groups, and Institutions) and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.His.1.6-8, D2.Civ.10.6-8
Reading
Jackie Robinson (profile)

Big Idea

Jackie Robinson’s integration of Major League Baseball was a highly visible breach of Jim Crow, and he treated it as the start of a longer struggle for civil rights.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Jackie Robinson, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Robinson refused to move to the back of an Army bus in 1944, before he ever played for Brooklyn. How does that episode change the way we understand his later restraint on the field?
  2. Branch Rickey asked Robinson not to retaliate. What did that promise cost him, and why did Rickey think it was necessary?
  3. Why do historians count a baseball debut in 1947 as an event in civil rights history, seven years before Brown v. Board of Education?
  4. After baseball, Robinson worked in business, banking, and politics. Why do you think he saw economic power as part of the movement?

Activity

Students read one of Jackie Robinson’s letters to a president from the National Archives lesson and the profile’s account of his post-baseball career. In pairs (20–30 minutes), they identify what Robinson asks for, the tone he takes, and the evidence he offers, then draft a short reply as the president might have written it. The class discusses how Robinson used the fame he earned in baseball to press political leaders on civil rights.

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Jackie Robinson.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/jackie-robinson/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Jackie Robinson. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/jackie-robinson/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Jackie Robinson.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/jackie-robinson/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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