"A Noble Experiment" Day 2 Comprehension

What does Robinson mean when he says of African Americans, “We go through life walking a tightrope to prevent too much disillusionment”?

• African Americans were not used to being given any opportunities.

• The African Americans had experienced many people acting as

  hypocrites when they would say one thing and then never

  following through with what they promise.

• African Americans were given so many opportunities that they needed to be careful when selecting between options.

Jackie describes his reactions to Branch Rickey’s offer as, “some kind of weird mixture churning in a blender.” Why was he experiencing this internal conflict?

• He felt this opportunity was too good to be true, yet he was excited. So it was a "blending" of mixed feelings for him.

• He could not understand how he was feeling because he was so "mixed up" with which decision to make.

• He was not sure joining the American League was a good idea, so he was "mixed up", much like what a blender does.

Jackie Robinson was offended by Branch Rickey when he said, “What I want to know is whether you have the guts.” Why does Branch Rickey ask Jackie Robinson this question?

• He wanted to know if Jackie would be willing to get into a physical altercation if needed to protect himself.

• He wanted to know if Jackie has the "guts" to fight back against his haters.

• Branch Rickey asked Jackie the question to see if he would react in a way that would show he could not restrain himself when someone insults him.

• He wanted to know if Jackie had the "guts" to play with so many great ballplayers.

What conclusions did Branch Rickey come to about Jackie being called a “racial agitator?”

• He accepted the criticisms and did not hire Jackie Robinson.

• He neither accepted nor denied the allegations; he needed to collect more information to make a final decision.

• Rickey did not accept those criticisms on face value, he had demanded and received more information.

The author writes, “There’s virtually nobody on our side.” Why would Branch Rickey move forward with a plan when there is so much social opposition?

• He was in such strong disagreement about what he had seen in regards to how segregation had affected another human being.

• He knew how skilled black ballplayers were and knew he needed to get them into the all-white leagues.

• He wanted to capitalize on black ballplayers, even though he knew it was not morally right.

• He felt bad for black players and wanted to help them as much as he could.