This document summarizes the autobiography of Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player in the major leagues. It discusses Robinson's career path from the Negro Leagues to breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. It also profiles Branch Rickey, the Dodgers executive who recruited Robinson and convinced the team to sign an African American player. The summary highlights the societal prejudice they faced and Robinson's purpose in telling his story to bring awareness to the barriers and unfair treatment many faced due to segregation.

1. The Noble Experiment

2. Genre:
Autobiography
What is an autobiography?
Story of a person’s life
Written by that person

3. Elements of AutobiographyElements of Autobiography:
Author’s life
First person point of view
Author’s feelings expressed
Author’s attitude toward events of life
Non-fiction

4. Purpose:
As you read, record details that show
this selection is an autobiography.
Think about what Robinson’s
purpose is for telling his story?

5. Setting:
1940s
Why do you think people feel prejudice?
Jackie Robinson in
Kansas City
Monarchs uniform
1945

6. Barriers Created by Prejudice:
Segregation
schools
restaurants
hospitals
sports

7. Sport:
Baseball
Negro League separate from white league
Morally wrong to prohibit anyone from playing
Prevents it from being a true national sport
Baseball missing out on great athletes
Jackie Robinson would help change that.
Effects of prejudice on baseball:

8. Main Character:
Jackie Robinson
1945 Kansas City
Monarchs – Negro
League
1947 Brooklyn Dodgers
1947 Rookie of year
1955 Dodgers win
World Series
1956 retires from
baseball
1962 Hall of Fame

9. Main Character:
Branch Rickey
1910 coach at Ohio
Wesleyan
1943 President of
Brooklyn Dodgers
Opposed segregation
1945 convinced Board
to hire African-
American player

10. As You Read:
What does Robinson want the reader to
know about the society in which Branch
Rickey was coaching?
Why does Jackie Robinson choose to
tell you so much about Branch Rickey’s
thoughts on the qualities the first major-
league black baseball player will have to
have?
Effects of prejudice on baseball:

11. Credits:
American Memory from the Library of
Congress
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem
ClipArt Gallery
http://www.clipartgallery.com/sports/
baseball/baseball.html
FindSounds
http://www.findsounds.com/ISAPI/search.dll