Quote:
Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan
I don't think I knew that there were African American ball players before JR. Very cool. What happened to our country that it was ok in the late 1800's but not after until Jackie broke the color barrier again? So unfortunate not to have all the great black players play alongside Cobb, Ruth, Mathewson etc.
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The subject is very complicated. The short answer: the 1896 Supreme Court decision
Plessy v. Ferguson, institutionalized "separate but equal" facilities for blacks and whites which extended onto the baseball diamond. This decision was not reversed until the 1954 Supreme Court decision
Brown v. The Board of Education, which ushered in the Civil Rights Movement.
Surprisingly many black ballplayers played alongside whites in minor league and semi-professional baseball from 1890-1946. Some more successful than others; the stories of William Clarence Matthews, "Big Chief" Dick Brookins, Charlie Grant, and Jimmy Claxton are hard to believe. During this period, attempts to "pass" as Native American were the most common methods used to integrate.
Back to the OP, this is a fantastic idea for students. Kudos!