. . .and finally only the names of places had dignity. Certain numbers were the same way and certain dates and these with the names of the places were all you could say and have them mean anything.
~Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Oscar McKinley Charleston is considered one of the greatest baseball players who ever played the game. He played in the Negro Leagues along with such outstanding and somewhat better known black players as Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. Oscar played and managed baseball teams from 1915 to 1954.

He played without recognition from white American society in those days of the Twentieth Century before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball's major leagues. Robinson took the field as a Brooklyn Dodger in the Fall of 1947; by then Oscar's playing days were over.

From photographs and according to recollections, he was a barrel-chested man blessed with extraordinary strength, coordination and speed. His intuitive grasp of the game was legendary. He was popular with the fans and well liked by his teammates, and, consequently, spent quite a few years as a successful team manager.

Though he was also infamous for his temper and the occasional brawl, he often protected rookie players, and developed numerous young men into fine ball players over the course of his career. Eventually he learned to channel his strength and temper into the spirited competition for which he was famous on the playing field.

His biography is a cavalcade of the history of the United States and Black America. Note particularly the Supreme Court decisions affecting African Americans that parallel his birth in 1896 and death in 1954.

1896
Oscar McKinley Charleston is born in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 15, 1996, the son of Tom, a Sioux Indian, and Mary Jeannette Thomas.

In 1896 The Supreme Court ruled against Homer Adolph Plessy, who was one-eigth Negro, in Plessy v. Ferguson. When Plessy had entered a railroad car reserved for whites, he was arrested. He challenged the constitutionality of the statute. The Supreme Court, by a vote of seven to one, found it valid. The dissenter, Justice John Marshall Harlan wrote:

"The destinies of the two races in this country are indissolubly linked together, and the interests of both require that the common government of all shall not permit the seeds of race hate to be planted under the sanction of law. . . The thin disguise of 'equal' accommodations for passengers in railroad coaches will not mislead anyone, or atone for the wrong this day done."

Lynchings of Black Americans in 1896: At least 78

1899
Oscar turns three.

Headline from the Harper's Bazaar of December, 1899:

New Cotillion Favors for the Season
The popularity of a hostess rests largely upon her ability to provide surprises for her friends . . . at some of the fashionable dances favors claim a large share of the expense, they need not necessarily be costly.

Lynchings: 85

1901
Oscar turns five, still a child playing in the streets of Indianapolis, perhaps dreaming little boy dreams of greatness. He throws left and bats left. Soon he becomes a bat boy for the Indianapolis ABCs.

On October 16th Booker T. Washington meets with President Theodore Roosevelt in the White House. Roosevelt invites him to stay for dinner. He is the first black American to dine in the White House, but the event creates an uproar in the press and with some elements of the public.

Lynchings: 105

1910
Oscar turns 14 and joins the U.S. Army where his speed, strength and coordination are showcased when he plays on military teams.

Census of 1910
U.S. population: 93,402,151
Black population: 9,827,763 (10.7%)

The first issue of "Crisis," a publication sponsored by the NAACP and edited by W. E.B. Du Bois, appears on November 1.

Sixty-seven African-Americans are known to have been lynched in 1910.

1915
Oscar is discharged from the Army. Realizing his childhood dream, he joins the Indianapolis ABCs and plays center field, where he is so fast and instinctive in hawking fly balls that he practically covers all three fields.

After being charged with assault and battery later in the year for attacking an umpire, he writes a public letter where he states: "The fact is that I could not overcome my temper as often times ball players can not. . . . I consider the incident highly unwise. . . I am aware of the fact that some one has said that they presume I am actuated by mania, but my mind teaches me to judge not, for fear you may be judged."

Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute dies.

Jazz singer, Billie Holiday, is born on April 7th.

Lynchings: 56

1921
Statistically this is probably Oscar's best year: He hits for an incredible average of .446 (non-baseball fans see note at end of article), wins another batting crown and leads the league not only in homers but also in singles, doubles and triples. He also steals 35 bases and fans and players begin comparing him to legendary major leaguers Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker. They say that he hits home runs like Ruth; is a superb pure hitter like Cobb; and roams the outfield with the grace, speed and instincts of Speaker.

Headline from a CNN news story filed August 3, 1999:

Tulsa panel seeks truth from 1921 race riot

Beulah Smith and Kenny Booker live through one of the worst race riots in U.S. history in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The rarely mentioned event officially took dozens of African-American lives. Some claim that the death toll was in the hundreds; some even put the dead in the thousands. The riot started after a black man was accused of raping a white woman, and a mob called for his lynching.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution of 4/28/02: "[In 1921] Congress debates anti-lynching bills. The NAACP lobbies for federal legislation for two decades, but never succeeds because of the opposition of Southern senators."

1922
On November 27, 1922, Charleston marries Jane B. Howard from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

On May 5 of 1922 construction begins on Yankee Stadium in New York City. It is called then as now "The House That Ruth Built," after the wealth that the "Babe" brought to the Yankees.

1925 He leads the Eastern Colored League with a .430 batting average. He spends four years with the Harrisburg Giants as a player/manager.

Malcolm X is born on May 19 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Ford Motor Company begins production of the pick-up truck

1930
Oscar joins the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh for the 1930-31 seasons. The Grays are considered one of the greatest teams of all time. The roster includes such legendary stars and future hall-of-famers as Smokey Joe Williams, Vic Harris, George Scales, Josh Gibson and Judy Johnson

The Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching organizes in Atlanta. The region wide group circulates anti-lynching petitions and pressures sheriffs to protect prisoners.

Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic .

1932
Past his prime though still one of the best players in the league, Oscar switches from the outfield to first base. He plays for the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1932 to 1936 as a player/manager. He continues successfully managing teams until his death.

FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) wins the presidential election on a platform of offering a "New Deal" for all Americans as the Great Depression continue to impoverish millions of Americans.

By 1932 roughly half of the black workers in New York, New York, Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Detroit, Michigan, were without jobs.

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong tours Europe for the first time.

1954
On October 6, Oscar Charleston falls down a flight of steps in Philadelphia and later dies of a stroke.

In 1954 the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. It decided unanimously that segregation was unconstitutional, overthrowing the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that had set the "separate but equal' precedent.

On October 6 with winds approaching speeds of 115 miles per hour, Hurricane Hazel hits the coast of North Carolina, and eventually sweeps North, ravaging Pennsylvania and the Eastern seaboard.

On October 6, 1954, the National Executive Committee of the American Legion gives its final approval to a resolution initiated by the Knights of Columbus to add the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. Eventually Congress approves the addition of the words.

1976
Oscar Charleston is elected to Hall of Fame by Committee on Negro Leagues. His plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame reads:

Oscar McKinley Charleston Negro Leagues 1915 – 1944 Rated among the all time greats of Negro Leages. Versatile star batted well over .300 most years. Speed, strong arm and fielding instincts made him standout center fielder. Later moved to first base. Also managed several teams during 40 years in Negro baseball.

In February, 1976 Negro History Month evolves into African-American History Month, also known as Black History Month.

Using his "Southern Strategy" once again, Richard Nixon wins reelection as President of the United States.

Lifetime Statistics: Oscar played organized baseball from 1915 to 1954, though the Negro League as we understand it day was not formed until 1920.

Teams: Bowser's ABCs, Indianapolis ABCs, Lincoln Stars, Chicago American Giants, St. Louis Giants, Harrisburg Giants, Hilldale Giants, Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Toledo Crawfords, Indianapolis Crawfords, Philadelphia Stars, Brooklyn Brown Dodgers, and the Indianapolis Clowns.

Lifetime Batting Average - .376

He played in 53 exhibition games against white major leaguers, hitting .318 with 11 HR. (Please note that statistics for players vary by source, as not all statistics have been compiled for the Negro League.)

Editor's Notes:

I wish to acknowledge the following sources, which were invaluable in writing this article:

W. Augustus Low and Virgil A. Clift's Encyclopedia of Black America (New York: Da Capo Press, 1984), and Harry A. Ploski and Warren Marr's The Negro Almanac (New York: Bellwether Co., 1976).

African American Perspectives of the Library of Congress from which I gathered some elements of the timeline.

The following excellent web sites provided valuable biographic information about Oscar Charleston and the Negro Leagues:

A Look at the Negro Leagues (Oscar Charleston) Baseball Library (Links to books and articles about Charleston here.)

Black Baseball

Baseball Hall of Fame

For those who are not baseball fans this average expressed as a decimal means that he gets to base after hitting the ball almost 45% of the time. By means of comparison a player who gets on base 30% or.300 is considered an outstanding hitter.

Copyright 2003-2006, Thomas James Martin, all rights reserved.