Teaching With Documents:
Beyond the Playing Field -
Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate
DRAFT LETTERRICHARD M. NIXON TO JACKIE ROBINSON
NOVEMBER 4, 1960
Presidential candidate Richard Nixon wrote this letter 4
days before the 1960 Presidential election. The annotations in black ink are
Nixon's. Robinson was pressured into taking an unpaid leave of absence and ending
his triweekly column with the liberal New York Post when he publicly endorsed
Nixon. Originally the ex-player worked on behalf of liberal Minnesota senator
Hubert Humphrey but when Humphrey was eliminated early in the primaries, Robinson's
support was up for grabs. Robinson viewed Nixon's civil rights record as more
promising than Kennedy's, especially after meeting with both candidates.
|
National Archives and Records Administration |
|||
|