Racism is a major problem that our country has always faced. Although the battle with racism shows no signs of stopping in our country there have been significant strides taken to end the fight. When racism was at its peak (after slavery), everything was segregated- schools, movie theaters, bathrooms, especially athletics. Slowly but surely, different places began to desegregate and finally in 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play a game in Major League Baseball. After Robinson “broke the color barrier” in the MLB, it was only a matter of time until more and more African Americans would begin to play in the MLB and other leagues. America in the 1950s was a great place to be; racial tensions, although still strong are beginning to decrease slightly, and the country saw a severe economic growth. Jackie Robinson was a pioneer in the racism movement and to this day remains one of the most well known baseball players throughout the history of the league. The early 1950s were a great time to be in America; we had just gotten out of World War II and this was the first time America was considered to be an international superpower. This new title brought confidence and economic success to this great country. However, as the decade progressed, the US entered a time of compliance, conformity, and to a certain extent, rebellion. Much of this decade was spent trying to end communist influences in other parts of the world. This eventually led to the Red Scare and the Cold War. During the 1950s, the Civil Rights Movement saw major gains. People such as Martin Luther King Junior, Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks emerged as figureheads for African Americans in the movement of desegregation. The first major step that was taken in favor of desegregation was the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v the Board of Education in 1954. This ruling overturned the decision in Plessy v Ferguson from 1896 and stated that it was unconstitutional to segregate schools- it opened the door to the beginnings of the right for all Americans to receive equal schooling regardless of race. The Little Rock Nine was another event that helped the segregation movement in schools and other public places. These developments among others would be key talking points in the advancement of equal rights across the county over the coming years. Not only were schools desegregated but baseball began to integrate with the emergence of Jackie Robinson in the MLB. His debut in 1947 ended a sixty year period of segregation in major league baseball. Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier and his success in the MLB symbolize the changes in the civil rights movement and demonstrate that the fight for equality was more than simply a political matter. Along with being the first African American baseball player, Jackie Robinson was also the first black television analyst for the MLB and the first black vice president of a Major American corporation. For all of his achievements and moves precedents throughout his life Robinson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Robinson has received countless awards during and after his life, both for on and off field achievements. He was named as one of the top 100 most influential people of the 1900s. in December of 1956 he was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP (this is the highest achievement for an African American).