Civil Rights Movement in Georgia1940s-1950s

SS8H11: The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement. a. Describe major developments in civil rights and Georgia’s role during the 1940s

and 1950s; include the roles of Herman Talmadge, Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.

1946 Georgia Governor’s Race• Governor Ellis Arnall’s term was ending and it was time to elect

a new governor.• 62 year old Eugene Talmadge was elected governor again for

the 3rd time.• Talmadge died before he was sworn in as Governor, therefore,

the following men claimed they were governor of Georgia:A. Ellis Arnall (Governor at that time)B. Melvin Thompson (Lieutenant Governor)C. Herman Talmadge (Eugene’s son)• In March of 1947, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that

Melvin Thompson was the Governor of Georgia.

Three Governors ControversyEugene Talmadge

Ellis Arnall

Herman Talmadge

Melvin Thompson

Herman Talmadge

• In 1948, Georgians elected Herman Talmadge Governor of Georgia.

• Then again in 1950.• Strict segregationist, who did not want to integrate

Georgia’s schools.• As governor, he increased public education from 1st

grade-12th grade + lengthened the school year to nine months + raised the standards for buildings, equipment, and school curriculum.

• He was elected to the U.S. Senate from 1956 to 1981.

Brown vs. Board of Educationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2XHob_nVbw&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

• In 1950, seven year old Linda Brown, a black student, tried to enroll in an all-white school in Topeka, Kansas.

• When she was denied entry, the NAACP helped Linda’s father sue the Topeka Board of Education.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that separate-but-equal schools were unconstitutional (illegal).

Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

• Lifelong educator, who taught at Morehouse College and became the President of this college, too from 1940-1967

• Helped Morehouse College students to create the Omega Psi Phi fraternity

• Served as the 1st African American president of the Atlanta Public School Board of Education from 1969-1981

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Born in Atlanta, GA in 1929• Baptist preacher who led the Civil Rights Movement from

1955-1968• Through non-violence, he led many boycotts, marches, and

protests• Formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

in 1957• Helped to get the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed into law• Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964• Assassinated on April 4, 1968

1956 Georgia Flag• 1956, the state’s flag was changed to incorporate the

St. Andrew’s cross, a Confederate battle emblem.• The flag was changed as a protest to the

desegregation of Georgia’s schools.• African Americans were offended, by this reference

to slavery.• The 1956 flag was damaging to Georgia’s tourism and

business industries.• In 2001, the General Assembly along with Governor

Sonny Perdue signed into law the flag below:

2003 to Present Georgia Flag

Civil Rights Movement in Georgia1960s-1970s

SS8H11b: Analyze the role Georgia and prominent Georgians played in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s; include such events as the founding of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Sibley Commission, admission of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to the University of Georgia, Albany Movement, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson as mayor of Atlanta, and the role of Lester Maddox. c. Discuss the impact of Andrew Young on Georgia.

Music from 1965

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltRwmgYEUr8 Temptations

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVlr4g5-r18 Beatles

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSjn3CAC5zI&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1 Jackson 5

1960s-1970s

• Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee (SNCC): An Atlanta-based organization for young African Americans to peacefully participate in the Civil Rights Movement.

A. Led protestB. Sit-ins at lunch countersC. Boycotts of businesses that would not serve

blacksD. Registering black voters

Sibley Commission• Governor Ernest Vandiver chose John Sibley to head up this

commission. • A respected Atlanta businessman, lawyer, and president of the

University of Georgia Alumni Association, Sibley was selected because he opposed integration.

• The commission was created to allow Georgia’s public school boards to vote on whether or not to desegregate their schools.

• Although the Sibley Commission helped to prevent the violence that accompanied desegregation in other Deep South states, it also provided tactics that local school boards could use to slow down the desegregation process.

The University of Georgia• In 1959, Charlayne Hunter

and Hamilton Holmes applied to attend the University of Georgia and were denied.

• They sued UGA and in 1960, federal court ordered UGA to admit them.

• They graduated in 1963 from UGA.

Albany Movement (1961)

• It was the first mass movement in the modern Civil Rights Era to have as its goal the desegregation of an entire community (Albany, GA).

• SNCC members decided to sit in the “whites only” waiting room at the Albany bus station.

• It resulted in the jailing of more than 1,000 African Americans in Albany and surrounding rural counties.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

• This law outlawed segregation in public facilities and discrimination in employment.

• Public facilities are: restaurants, parks, movie theaters, hotels, schools, and libraries.

• In the South, many whites were still resistant to change.

• Lester Maddox refused to serve African Americans in his Atlanta restaurant, so he closed his business.

Lester Maddox (1967)• Segregationist, who was

elected governor in 1967• In a weird twist of fate,

Governor Maddox appointed more African Americans to state boards and commissions than prior governors combined.

• He integrated the Georgia State Patrol.

James “Jimmy” Carter

• 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971-1975

• Elected the 39th President of the USA from 1977-1981

• He is from Plains, Georgia• Only U.S. President to come

from Georgia

Maynard Jackson• In 1974, Maynard Jackson was sworn in

as Atlanta’s youngest and 1st African American mayor.

• He was Atlanta’s mayor from 1974-1978, 1978-1982, and from 1990-1994.

• Led the development & expansion of MARTA

• He helped to expand Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

• Helped to bring the 1996 Olympics to Georgia

Andrew Young, Jr. • Baptist preacher• Trusted aide to Martin Luther

King, Jr.• United States Ambassador to the

United Nations from 1977-1980• Mayor of Atlanta from 1982-

1986 and 1985-1989• Helped to bring the 1996

Olympics to Georgia• Currently, a professor at Georgia

State University.

1996 Olympic Games(July 19th -August 4th, 1996)

SS8H12d: Evaluate the effect of the 1996 Olympic Games on Georgia.

1996 Summer Olympic Games• Held in Atlanta, GA and surrounding metro areas• It brought four long-term benefits to Georgia:1. Millions of dollars were spent to create world class competition

facilities such as the:A. $189 million Olympic Stadium (A.K.A. Turner Field)B. 1,400 acre Georgia Horse ParkC. 17 million dollars Wolf Creek Shooting Range complexD. Stone Mountain tennis facilityE. 10 million dollars Lake Lanier Rowing CenterF. Georgia Tech and Georgia State University both received dormitories.G. Centennial Park

1996 Olympic Village • The Olympic Village, located on

the Georgia Tech campus, was open July 6-August 7, 1996.

• The village was home to more than 14,000 athletes, coaches, trainers, and officials from 197 national Olympic committees, almost 10,000 employees (mostly volunteers), 4,000 guests, and hundreds of media representatives, with a daily population of nearly 30,000.

Centennial Park

1996 Olympic Games

2. The Olympics brought international recognition to Atlanta A. Over 2 million tourists attended the games B. 3.5 billion viewers watched the games via television

3. The Olympics brought volunteers, jobs, and educational/training programs to the state.

4. The 1996 Olympic games brought in millions of dollars to the state.

Costs and Revenues

Events & Venues• Centennial Olympic Stadium (Now known as Turner Field) – Opening/Closing

Ceremonies, Athletics• Georgia Dome – Basketball, Gymnastics, Handball• Georgia Tech Aquatic Center – Diving, Swimming, Synchronized Swimming,

Water Polo• Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium – Baseball• Georgia World Congress Center – Fencing, Judo, Fencing, Table Tennis,

Weightlifting, Wrestling• Omni Coliseum – Indoor Volleyball • Panther Stadium (Clark-Atlanta University)– Field hockey• Herndon Stadium (Morris Brown)– Field hockey • Georgia State University Sports Arena – Badminton• Forbes Arena (Morehouse College) – Basketball• Alexander Memorial Coliseum – Boxing• Cycling road course • Marathon course – Marathon Cycling

More Events & Venues• Stone Mountain Tennis Center – Tennis• Stone Mountain Park Archery Center – Archery• Stone Mountain Park Velodrome – Cycling (track)• Atlanta Beach (Jonesboro, Georgia) – Beach Volleyball• Wolf Creek Shooting Complex – Shooting• Georgia International Horse Park (Conyers, Georgia) –

Cycling (mountain), Equestrian, Modern pentathlon (riding, running)

• Lake Lanier (Near Gainesville, Georgia) – Canoeing & Rowing

Atlanta Bombing

• On July 29, 1996, a bomb exploded in Centennial Park killing Alice Hawthorne of Albany, GA.

• 117 people were wounded• Athletes, tourists, and Georgians were equally

scared, due to this act of terrorism.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbau3OG4lBc

Final Facts

• After the Olympics:1. Centennial Olympic Stadium was converted into

Turner Field, which became home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team for the 1997 season.

2. The Omni was demolished that same year to make way for Philips Arena on its site.

3. Georgia Dome became the home of the Atlanta Falcons.