Throughout the 1800s, African Americans were considered inferior to whites. After the Union victory in the Civil War, Jim Crow Laws were adopted in the South to “equitably” separate the two races. For baseball there were the Negro Leagues, the Minor Leagues and the Major Leagues. The only league a black man could join was the Negro League. The other leagues were for white men only. However, everything changed when Jackie Robinson, a young African American, entered Major League Baseball in 1947. This would change the face of baseball forever. Jackie Robinson was able to overcome discrimination, threats and insults throughout his career; that would pave the way for future African-American athletes. Long before Jackie Robinson set foot on a baseball field, the issue of race divided the United States. The issue was so serious that it was a major factor in the Civil War, in which Northern and Southern states fought bloody battles with their former friends and neighbors. The Northern states, led by President Abraham Lincoln, pushed to abolish slavery. Southerners, who relied on slavery to run their agricultural plantations, felt that eliminating slavery would take away their livelihoods and give northern areas that depended on the industry an unfair economic advantage. After many hard-fought battles, the North won the war and President Lincoln emancipated the slaves. The race question was solved, or so they thought. Jackie Robinson's entry into the major leagues was due to the fact that blacks and whites were always separated during that time period. They were separated by laws called “Jim Crow Laws.” These laws meant that blacks and whites had their own… middle of paper… leagues. It is going to become a normal trend over time. Now, blacks have a large majority in some sports like football and basketball. Everyone now has the same and equal opportunity as athletes to succeed. Jackie Robinson lit the baton and passed it down to several generations of African Americans. He fought the battle against discrimination as an African-American athlete. He overcame the obstacles encountered in his career. Jackie was able to prove that African Americans were just as good as whites at baseball. He inspired other athletes to achieve this recognition in the sport they played. Today he is still considered one of the greatest impacts on sports and one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. Jackie was tested to be responsible in the most difficult times and she successfully pulled it off without harming anyone or their rights. Robinson won the war.