Episodes
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Part II
S1 E2 - 1h 54m
Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.”
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Part I
S1 E1 - 1h 53m
Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.”
Extras + Features
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First Look
S1 - 44s
JACKIE ROBINSON, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon, examines the life and times of Jack Roosevelt Robinson, who lifted an entire race, and nation, on his shoulders when he crossed baseball’s color line in 1947. Check local listings for rebroadcast information.
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Jackie Robinson Fades
S1 - 2m 42s
Learn how the public perception of Jackie Robinson, militancy, black masculinity, and the Civil Rights Movement transformed between the 1950s-1960s. This clip pairs with the "Integration or Separation?" educational unit in the classroom section of PBS.org/JackieRobinson
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Reese and Robinson Myth
S1 - 2m 21s
In this clip from JACKIE ROBINSON, the facts of the story behind the Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese Monument are examined.
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Jackie Speaks Out
S1 - 2m 31s
See the moment Jackie Robinson began challenging other ballplayers and umpires. Reporters began to come to Jackie directly, as he spoke out more, and played a season better than ever before.
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Jackie Enters the Majors
S1 - 3m 23s
April 15, 1947, opening day at Ebbets Field: playing first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers was number 42, Jackie Robinson. The Dodgers won, and the black press declared Jackie’s arrival as a landmark event. The white press did not acknowledge Robinson's entry into the Majors. This clip pairs with the "Taking the Measure of the Man" educational unit in the classroom section of PBS.org/JackieRobinson
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1944 Court-Martial
S1 - 3m 42s
In 1944, Jackie Robinson refused to move to the back of a military bus, when told to by a civilian driver. Jackie was arrested, charged with insubordination, and court-martialed. During the proceedings, he was prohibited from being deployed.
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Social Justice
S1 - 4m 19s
The Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education outlaws racial segregation in schools, but it does not mean total change at once. The reaction in the South is immediate and angry. As the push for social justice accelerated across the country, Robinson tried to do his part, but old customs remained entrenched both in the North and South.
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Ice Cream
S1 - 1m 1s
In this clip from JACKIE ROBINSON, Alton Waldon of Brooklyn shares a childhood memory of when he and his school friends met Jackie Robinson, who treated the children to ice cream that day, and whom they revered as "a real hero who looked like" them. #JackieRobinsonPBS
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Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon on Jackie Robinson
S1 - 2m 51s
Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon talk about how Jackie Robinson was the original civil rights pioneer, and why his actions and beliefs resonate to this day.
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Jackie Robinson and Malcolm X
S1 - 3m 25s
Rachel Robinson discusses Jackie's stance against violence and the rhetoric surrounding it, and his perspective on Malcolm X. Jackie denounced Malcolm X as "a man without a plan" and accused him of being "militant on Harlem street corners, where militancy is not dangerous." This clip pairs with the "Integration or Separation?" educational unit in the classroom section of PBS.org/JackieRobinson
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The Negro Leagues
S1 - 1m 6s
Learn how Jackie Robinson entered the Negro Leagues, playing for the Kansas City Monarchs. In this clip, Buck O’Neil recounts when the team bus stopped at a filling station in Oklahoma, and the station attendant stated that the restroom was "for whites only.” Robinson told the attendant “No restroom, no gas.” Fearing the loss of a large sale of gasoline, the attendant agreed to let them use it.
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March on Washington
S1 - 2m 19s
Witness the deep impact the March on Washington had both on the nation and on Jackie Robinson and his family, who traveled to attend.
Schedule
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