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Fleet Walker Vs. Jackie Robinson

Throughout the course of American history, there have been many historical figures who have been responsible for, or were a part of the gradual change of our nation. In the early to mid 1900's, the United States was racially segregated, and African Americans were looked at as second class citizens. In the mid-1900's, a time period which is now known as the Civil Rights Movement, there were a number of different people who helped lead the charge to desegregate the United States. Some of the historical figures, who's names are synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, include political activist Martin Luther King, NAACP officer Medgar Evers, Baptist minister Malcolm X, and normal citizen Rosa Parks. All of these people were a very large part of the Civil Rights Movement and attempted to recognize African Americans as equals to Whites.
One man who made a huge difference in changing our nation, by simply doing something he loved, was Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson made a difference by playing professional baseball, widely known as our national pastime. Recognized as the first African American to play the game of baseball, Jackie paved the way for other African Americans to do the same. Where would the game of baseball be today if Jackie Robinson never "broke the color barrier?" Would greats such as Willie Mays or Hank Aaron have been given the chance to play?
It was April 15, 1947 when Jackie Robinson made his Major League debut for the then Brooklyn Dodgers. This event was for many years considered to be the single most eagerly awaited event in the history of baseball. And that is how history textbooks explained it to us. Students in the United States were and are constantly told stories of Jackie Robinson. These textbooks not only regard Jackie as the first African American player to play, but also as a quality human being who had to overcome constant abuse and struggles. History textbooks have made Jackie Robinson out to be a hero. They make...