The baseball color line was the policy, unwritten for nearly its entire duration, which excluded African American baseball players from organized baseball in the United States before 1946. As a result, various Negro Leagues were formed, which featured those players not allowed to participate in the major or minor leagues. The Rex Theatre for Colored People, Leland, Mississippi, June 1937 Racial segregation is creamy jizz of different races in daily life when both are doing equal tasks, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Bud Fowler, the first professional black baseball player with one of his teams, Western of Keokuk, Iowa The Negro Leagues were American professional baseball leagues comprising predominantly African-American teams. ...

The separation's beginnings occurred in 1868, when the National Association of Base Ball Players decided to bar "any club including one or more colored persons." As baseball made the transition toward becoming a professional sport over the next decade, and the NABBP dissolved into competing organizations in 1871, professional players were no longer restricted by this rule, and for a short while – in 1878 and again in 1884 – African American players played in the big leagues. Over time, they were slowly excluded more and more. As prominent players such as Cap Anson, John McGraw, and Ty Cobb steadfastly refused to take the field with or against teams with African-Americans on the roster, it became informally accepted that African Americans were not to participate in Major League Baseball. The minor leagues were segregated by the end of hte 1898 season. The National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) was founded in 1857 by sixteen baseball clubs located in the New York metropolitan area. ... Anson in 1888 Adrian Constantine Cap Anson (April 11, 1852, Marshalltown, Iowa - April 14, 1922, Chicago, Illinois) was a professional baseball player in the National Association and Major League Baseball for the Rockford Forest Citys, Philadelphia Athletics, and Chicago White Stockings. ... John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873–February 25, 1934), nicknamed Little Napoleon and Muggsy, was a Major League Baseball player and manager. ... Tyrus Raymond Ty Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed The Georgia Peach, was a Hall of Fame baseball player. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ...

On May 28 1916, Jimmy Claxton temporarily broke the professional baseball color barrier when he played one game for the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. Claxton was introduced to the team owner by a part-Indian friend as a fellow member of an Oklahoma tribe. Within a week, a friend of Claxton revealed that he had both African American and Native American ancestors, and was promptly fired. It would be nearly thirty more years before another black man played organized white baseball. Jimmy Claxton (born December 14, 1892 in Wellington, British Columbia, Canada) was a black baseball pitcher. ... There have been two sports franchises based in Oakland known as the Oakland Oaks: The Oakland Oaks of minor league baseball, who played in the Pacific Coast League. ... The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a minor league baseball league operating in the West and Midwest of the United States. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... An ancestor is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an ancestor (i. ...

The Negro National League was founded in 1920 by Rube Foster. This created two parallel major leagues, and until 1947, professional baseball in the United States was played in separate homogeneous leagues. The Negro National League was one of the several Negro Leagues which were established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Andrew Rube Foster Andrew Rube Foster (September 17, 1878 or 1879 - December 9, 1930) (he adopted the nickname as his official middle letter later in life) was the founder of the Negro National League, the first stable professional baseball league for African-American ballplayers, which operated from 1921 to 1931. ...

During his term in office as the first baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis has been alleged to have been particularly determined to maintain the segregation. It is possible that he was guided by his background as a federal judge, and specifically by the then-existing constitutional doctrine of "separate but equal" institutions. He himself maintained for many years that black players could not be integrated into the major leagues without heavily compensating the owners of Negro League teams for what would likely result in the loss of their investments. In addition, integration at the major league level would likely have necessitated integrating the minor leagues, which were much more heavily distributed through the rural U.S. South and Midwest. In 1920, the owners of Major League Baseball, in order to reestablish confidence of fans in the sport following the Black Sox Scandal, established the office of Commissioner of Baseball. ... Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (20 November 1866 – 25 November 1944) was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922, and subsequently as the first commissioner of Major League Baseball. ... Separate but equal was a policy enacted into law throughout the U.S. Southern states during the period of segregation, in which African Americans and Americans of European descent would receive the same services (schools, hospitals, water fountains, bathrooms, etc. ... A Class A California League game in San Jose, California (1994) Minor baseball leagues are North American professional baseball leagues that compete at a level below that of Major League Baseball. ... The U.S. Southern states or The South, known during the American Civil War era as Dixie, is a distinctive region of the United States with its own unique historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... Midwest States (United States of America, ND to OH) The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ...

One disincentive to desegregation was that strong players who were white sometimes threatened to quit any team that took on a black player.

In 1943, baseball executive Bill Veeck attempted to buy the Philadelphia Phillies franchise; rumors began circulating that he intended to purchase the contracts of several Negro Leaguers in order to make the longtime also-rans more competitive in a period when war requirements had depleted most rosters. However, the franchise was instead sold to a different ownership group, and some historians have recently questioned the likelihood of Veeck's rumored intentions. William Louis Veeck Jr. ... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1,14,20,32,36 Name Philadelphia Phillies (1883–present) unofficially Philadelphia Blue Jays (1944-1945) Philadelphia Phillies (1883-2006) Philadelphia Quakers (1882-1882) Worcester Rubylegs (1880-1881) (Commonly referred to as Blue Jays 1944...

The color line was formally breached when Branch Rickey, with the support of the new baseball commissioner, Albert "Happy" Chandler, signed the African American player Jackie Robinson in October 1945, intending him to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the National League. After a year in the minor leagues with the Montreal Royals (International League), Robinson endured epithets and death threats and got off to a slow start in his first major league season in 1947, but his athleticism and skill earned him the Rookie of the Year award. Less well-known was Larry Doby, who signed with the Cleveland Indians that same year to become the American League's first African-American player. Both men were later elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Due to their success, teams slowly but surely integrated talented African-Americans on their roster. 1914 E145 Crackerjack Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 - December 9, 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known for two things: breaking baseballs color barrier by signing the African-American player Jackie Robinson, and later drafting the first Hispanic player, Roberto Clemente; and creating... Albert Chandler Albert Benjamin Chandler I (commonly known as A. B. Happy Chandler) (July 14, 1898–June 15, 1991) was a governor of Kentucky, a U.S. Senator and Baseball Commissioner. ... Jack Roosevelt Jackie Robinson (January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972) became the first African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era in 1947. ... Major league affiliations National League (1890–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1,2,4,19,20,24,32,39,42,53 Name Los Angeles Dodgers (1958–present) Brooklyn Dodgers (1911-1912), (1932-1957) Brooklyn Robins (1914-1931) (Also referred to as Trolley Dodgers 1911-1931) Brooklyn... The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada and the worlds oldest extant professional team sports league. ... Statue at Montreals Olympic Stadium of the Royals most famous player, Jackie Robinson. ... The International League (IL) is a minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States and Canada. ... See also: 1946 in sports, other events of 1947, 1948 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto racing Wally Parks founds the Southern California Timing Association, to better organize drag racing. ... In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given to the best first-year players in the American and National Leagues. ... Lawrence Eugene Larry Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003), was an American professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball. ... This article is becoming very long. ... American League The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. ... The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 62 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related...

Prior to the integration of the major leagues, the Brooklyn Dodgers spearheaded the integration of the minor leagues. Jackie Robinson and John Wright were assigned to Montreal, but also that season Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella became members of the Nashua Dodgers in the New England League. Nashua was the first minor-league team based in the United States to integrate its roster after 1898. Subsequently that season, the Pawtucket Slaters, the Boston Braves' New England League franchise, also integrated its roster, as did Brooklyn's franchise in Trois Riviers, Quebec. The rest of the minor leagues would slowly integrate as well, including those based in the Southern United States. The Carolina League, for example, integrated in 1951 when the Danville Leafs signed Percy Miller Jr. to their team. John Wright may refer to: John Wright (cricketer) (born 1954), member of the New Zealand cricket team, coach of the Indian cricket team John Wright (inventor), an inventor of electroplating (method patented, 1840) John Wright (politician), New Zealand MP, 1996–2002 John C. Wright (born 1961), science fiction and fantasy... Donald Newcombe (born June 14, 1926 in Madison, New Jersey), nicknamed Newk, is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1949-51 and 1954-58), Cincinnati Reds (1958-60) and Cleveland Indians (1960). ... Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993) was an American catcher in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball. ... The Nashua Dodgers, a farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was a baseball team which operated in the class-B New England League between 1946 and 1949. ... The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. ... Major league affiliations National League (1876–present) East Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 3,21,35,41,42,44 Name Atlanta Braves (1966–present) Ballpark Turner Field (1997–present) Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (1966-1996) Milwaukee County Stadium (Milwaukee) (1953-1965) Braves Field (Boston) (1915-1952) Fenway Park... The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic region of the United States. ... The Danville Leafs were a professional minor league baseball team that played in the city of Danville, Virginia. ... Percy Miller Jr. ...

The Boston Red Sox were the last major league team to integrate, due to the steadfast resistance provided by owner Tom Yawkey and manager Mike "Pinky" Higgins. However, they too eventually conformed to the integrationist trend, signing Pumpsie Green in 1959. Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1 • 4 • 8 • 9 • 27 • 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1907–present) See Nicknames before Red Sox for disputed nicknames Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (1901-1911) Major league titles World... Ted Williams & Tom Yawkey Thomas Austin Yawkey, born Thomas Austin (February 21, 1903 - July 9, 1976), was an American industrialist and Major League Baseball executive. ... Michael Franklin Pinky Higgins (May 27, 1909 - March 21, 1969) was a Major League Baseball player for three teams and the manager or general manager of the Boston Red Sox during the period of 1955 through 1965. ... Topps baseball card - 1960 Series, #317 Elijah Jerry (Pumpsie) Green (born October 27, 1933 in Oakland, California) is a former Major League Baseball backup infielder who played with the Boston Red Sox (1959-62) and New York Mets (1963). ... See also: 1958 in sports, other events of 1959, 1960 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship — Lee Petty Indianapolis 500 — Rodger Ward USAC Racing — Rodger Ward Formula One Champion — Jack Brabham of Australia...

See also

• History of baseball in the United States
• Negro League baseball
• List of first black Major League Baseball players by team and date