-The Jackie Robinson Reader

A compilations of works related to Jackie Robinson and the desegregation of baseball, this work aims to provide biographical context to a life that is often reduced to the singular act of breaking the color barrier. In addition to several history articles, this work also includes two previously unpublished of primary source documents. The first is an article by New York sportswriter Arthur Mann, uncovered in his archival papers at the Library of Congress, which was supposed to be the first authorized account of Robinson’s hiring by the Brooklyn Dodgers before being cancelled. The second is a report written by New York Yankees owner Larry MacPhail to the Major League Steering Committee dated August 27, 1946 that attempts to explain why players of color are not suitable for Major League Baseball. These unique documents, combined with the more standard biographical stories, give insight into Robinson’s groundbreaking life.