America After Slavery
Even though the Civil War had ended, and slavery was officially abolished in the United States, Blacks in the South faced daily discrimination. Even for Blacks who did not live in the southern states, life still was challenging. Imagine what it would have been like dealing with prejudice from your neighbors and peers, or seeing friends, family, or people like you suffering because of what they look like. Blacks were not given the same opportunities as Whites due to a set of unfair laws specifically written to hinder Blacks from having as many freedoms. Almost everywhere they went, Blacks were forced to stay segregated, or separated from Whites.
Jackie Robinson
Blacks were not even allowed to play on the same sports teams as Whites. Baseball in particular had a separate league for Black players and only White players were allowed in the Major League. This was the case until one day one Black baseball player named Jackie Robinson was given the opportunity to play on a Major League team. While Jackie was playing baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro League in 1945, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was searching for a Black player with both talent and guts to join Major League Baseball, which at the time, unofficially banned Black players. There had not been a Black player in the major leagues since 1889.
