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History of Black Baseball and the Negro Leagues
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Philadelphia Pythians Excluded
At their annual convention, the Pennsylvania Association of Amateur Base Ball Players denied a request for membership from the Philadelphia Pythians, a team comprised of black players. Later that year, the National Association of Base Ball Players formally banned the inclusion of black players and teams. -
Moses Fleetwood Walker Debuted in the Major Leagues
Moses Fleetwood Walker debuted as the first black player in the major leagues, playing as a catcher for the Toledo Blue Stockings. He was the first and last black player to play alongside whites in professional baseball for sixty-three years. -
League of Colored Baseball Clubs Folded
The first attempt at forming a baseball league comprised of black teams, the League of Colored Baseball Clubs folded after only two weeks. -
Cap Anson and the "Gentleman's Agreement"
Cap Anson of the Chicago White Stockings refused to allow his team to play against a black player. The following day, team owners voted to unofficially ban black players and teams from playing alongside whites. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The 7-1 decision by the Supreme Court declared that segregation was legal. -
First Negro National League Established
Andrew "Rube" Foster established the original incarnation of the Negro National League, which would become the first successful organization in the Negro Leagues. The league was founded in Kansas City, but it was based out of Chicago. -
Eastern Colored League Established
The Eastern Colored League was founded at a gathering of eastern baseball owners in Philadelphia. Its creation effectively ended “Rube” Foster’s dreams of establishing a national black baseball league. -
Stock Market Crash
Also known as Black Tuesday, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 heralded in years of economic difficulty. -
Second Negro National League Established
The second incarnation of the Negro National League was established after a meeting of club owners in Chicago. Gus Greenlee, the owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, was appointed as chairman. -
First East-West Game
The East-West games were an annual event held at Chicago's Comiskey Park. They were among the biggest and most anticipated games of the season, and regularly brought in large crowds. -
Negro American League Established
The Negro American League was founded during a two-day meeting in Chicago. It united some of the most prominent black teams in the Midwest and South. -
Jackie Robinson is Signed by the Montreal Royals
Jackie Robinson became the first black player to be signed by a major league team in the twentieth century. -
Jackie Robinson is Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers
The long-standing color line in major league baseball was broken when Jackie Robinson's contract with the Montreal Royals was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers. -
Negro National League Disbanded
Integration in major league baseball directly led to the Negro National League disbanding over a two-day meeting in Chicago, with the NNL's surviving teams being absorbed by the Negro American League. -
Birmingham Black Barons Quit
The last remaining Negro Leagues team disbanded in late 1960, following a short season. Note: This did not take actually place on January 1.