Margaret Ermarth Institute for the Public Humanities

"Desegregation and the path to integration of Major league Baseball: 1947-1972"

Presentation by Professor of History Scott Rosenberg

In April of 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color bar that had existed in Major League baseball since 1884. This talk will examine whether Jackie Robinson integrated or desegregated Major League Baseball using Martin Luther King's "Ethical Demand for Integration" to differentiate and discuss the difference between the two. The talk will then look at how African-Americans entered the Major Leagues from Jackie Robinson in 1947 to the last team to sign a black player in 1959 (the Boston Red Sox and Pumpsie Green). The talk will conclude with the Pittsburg Pirates being the first team to field an all-black team during a game in 1972.

• Margaret Ermarth Institute For The Public Humanities