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Benjamin Mays
Benjamin Mays was the Morehouse College President from 1940-1967. He encouraged faculty and staff, which included Martin Luther King Jr., to become involved in the civil rights movement. -
Governor's Race/End of the White Primary
Eugene Talmadge was elected as governor for the next term. He died before he could take office. Georgia's Constitution states that if the governor dies, the lietenant governor takes over. Eugene Talmadge's soon to be lietenant governor, Melvin Thompson, said that he should take over as governor. The governor at thst time, Ellis Arnall refused to leave office until the mess was sorted out. Eventually Georgia's Supreme Court decided on Melvin Thompson as the Constitutional governor. -
Eugene Talmadge
Eugene Talmadge served three terms as governor: 1947, 1949, and later in 1954. He was a white supremisist who tried to balance budget, lower utility rates, and increase state highways. He wanteed to help inflation go down. On the contrary, Eugene Talmadge single handidly delayed the integration of universities in Georgia which threatened their acredidation. He also opposed the "New Deal", which further delayed the economical development of Georgia. -
Brown vs Board of Education
A father of a young colored school girl in Topeka, Kansas wanted his daughter to go to the white school because she would get a better education than if she attended the black school. The father claimed that the schools were not seperate, but equal.This court case went all the way to the Supreme Court. With the help of Thurgood Marshall, Brown won the case and the federal courts ordered for all schools to be integrated, overturning Plessy v Ferguson's "seperate, but equal" motto. -
1956 State Flag
In 1955, Atlanta attorney and Democratic Party leader John Sammons Bell, wanted to change the previous flag to get rid of the Confederate square on it. Confederate advocates Jefferson Lee Davis and Willis Harden, also approved of changing the Confederate part of the flag. Representative Denmark Groover, Governor Griffin's floor leader, told the press that the new flag "will show that we in Georgia intend to uphold what we stood for, will stand for and will fight for"- white supremacy." -
SNCC and the Albany Movement
SNCC, which was organized on April 16, 1960, stands for Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee. This group focused their protests in Albany and Atlanta Georgia. One of the main movements this group organized was the Albany Movement. The Albany Movement consisted of SNCC volunteers and many other civil rights organizations. They wanted to bring the controversial subject of blacks being arrested due to integrating on public busses and terminals. This was a major leap in civil rights. -
Sibley Commission
The Sibley Commisson was a government group that was formed by the General Assembly of Public Schools. Their job was to take a poll of Georgia citizens to figure out their viewpoints on integration. Their data proved that Georgia as a whole did not wanted segregation. This data was further used in courts to justify segregation. It also slowed down the process of integration. -
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter
These two African Americans were the first non-whites to register and graduate at the University of Georgia. They registered for their classes on campus on January 9, 1961 and they both later graduated in 1963. -
March on Washington
Over 200,000 Americasn were rallied by several religious and socisl groups. The goal was to show the country that there was still discrimination of jobs and the lack of freedom for colored people present in the country. This march along with Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech helped fuel the spirit for the rest of the civil rights movement. -
Civil Rights Act
Lyndon B Johnson signed the Cicil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. This prohibited discrimination in public places, including schools and workplaces. This act made public schools integrate and the discrimation of workers in a workplace illegal. -
Lester Maddox
Lester Maddox defeated Ellis Arnall in the Democratic primary and later in the same election, the General Asembly chose Maddox over the Republican candidate. Maddox seceeded Arnall as governor in 1966. As governor he helped UGA gain funding and Maddox also fixed many racial issues to benefit African Americans. -
Maynard Jackson
Maynard Jackson was the first African American mayor of a major southern city. He seceeded Andrew Young as mayor of Atlanta in his frist two terms in the years of 1973-1981 then again from 1990-1994. He worked along with Andrew Young on the 1996 Olympic Committee. Overall his entire career inspired and led the way for other civil right enthusiasts. -
Andrew Young
Andrew Young was the first African American United Nations ambassador, civil rights activist, mayor or Atlanta, minister, congressmen, international businessman, and a promoter of education. He was sworn into office as mayor in 1982 and he later retired in 1990. Also, Young was a cochairman on the Atlanta Comittee for 1996 Olympics.
