Civil Rights Movement

Benjamin Mays

Aug 1, 1894

Born in Aug 1, 1894, Mays grew up to become an American Baptist Minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He worked with many excellent leaders like John F. Kennedy, John D. Rockefeller, and Martin Luther King Jr. In fact, he was the mentor of MLK Jr. He was one of the most influential figures for desegregation in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, he became the president of the Atlanta Board of Education.

1946 Governor's Race/End of White Primary

Dec 21, 1946

Governors in 1947When Eugene Talmadge won the spot for the governor of Georgia, he suddenly passed away. When this happened, no one knew who would be the next governor. Ellis Arnal, the former lieutenant governor at the time, and Herman Talmadge fought for the spot as governor. At the end of the controversy, Herman Talmadge emerged as victorious and took the spot as the governor of Georgia.

Herman Talmadge as Governor

Nov 17, 1948

Herman Talmadge with some of his beliefsAfter the Three Governors Controversy in Georgia, Herman Talmadge took office in early 1947. Around March, the Georgia Supreme Court decided that the decision of Herman Talmadge being governor was unconstitutional. After winning the special election after he was removed from office, Talmadge served as governor from 1948 to 1954. During Talmadge's time as governor, the timber industry was started and became stronger, the state made its first

Brown vs. Board of Education (Decided)

May 17, 1954

More about Brown vs. Board of EducationWhen a little black girl had to walk farther away to a school for black people instead of the whites only school that was closer because of segregation, her father took this to the courts where this was argued out. After, having the segregation unconstitutional by the the Supreme Court, the case was settled.

1956 State Flag

Feb 13, 1956

Around the early 1955, John Sammons Bell had an idea about creating a new flag that incorporated the Civil War Confederate Flag. Bill 98 was passed by the senate and became effective on July 1.

Sibley Comission

Jan 10, 1960

Governor Vandiver decided to find out if Georgians would agree with the integration of schools before making the decision. After assigning Sibley to lead the committee to find out what the Georgians wanted, the reports stated around 60% of Georgians would rather have public schools shut down than have integrated schools.

Hamilton Holmes/ Charlayne Hunter to UGA

Dec 1, 1960

Even though both were highly qualified, Hunter and Holmes's admission into UGA were denied because of their race. After taking this to the court in December of 1960, Hunter and Holmes were finally admitted into UGA and graduated successfully.

Albany Movement

Nov 17, 1961

The SNCC (one of the major civil rights organizations of 1960s with mainly high school and college students) tried to organize a peaceful protest to desegregate a SW GA city. However, the police arrested everyone until there was no one left to protest. Though this was a failure, the SNCC learned ways to be more effiecient when protesting from now on. Also, when the SNCC left Albany, the segregation laws were removed.

March on Washington

Aug 28, 1963

Around 200,000 civil rights activists gathered for the civil rights law passed by John Fitzgerald Kennedy. This also where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream Speech." This also led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Jul 2, 1964

More on Civil Rights Act of 1964Forbade discrimination on the basics of sex and race in hiring, promoting, and firing.

Lester Maddox

Jan 11, 1967

Maddox was a lieutenant governor that served under Jimmy Carter and then became the 75th governor of Georgia. He was also a segregationist.

Andrew Young

Jan 3, 1973

Young served in many different positions throughout his life. From 1973-1977, he was a Georgian representative in the house of representatives. From 1977-1979, he was a US Ambassador for the UN. From 1982-1990, he was finally the mayor of Atlanta Georgia. As the mayor, he continued to expand Maynard Jackson's programs.

Maynard Jackson as Mayor of Atlanta

Jan 21, 1974

Maynard Jackson as the First Black Mayor of AtlantaMaynard Jackson became the first black mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He helped develop transportation in the Hartsfield - Jackson Airport. In fact, Jackson was added to the name of the airport in his honor when he passed away. He was also responsible for many public works/projects in Atlanta.