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Benjamin Mays
Benjamin Mays was an African American minister, scholar, social activist and mentor of Martin Luther King Jr, with whom he developed a close relationship with. He became the president of Morehouse College in 1940. As an administrator he heightened the schools academic reputation and was a succesful fundraiser. Even after retirement in 1967 he was active in social and political orgs.and oversaw the desegregation of Atlanta public schools between 1970 and 1981 -
Governor's Race of 1946
Beginning with the death of Eugene Talmadge there were momentarily three different politicians running for Georgia's governor. (left to right according to picture) Eugene Talmadge was elected as Governor by the General Assembly. Melvin Thompson claimed the office of Governor due to his position as Lieutenant Governor. Lastly, Ellis Arnall refused to leave office. The controversy was solved March of 1947 when the Georgia Supreme Court declared that Melvin Thompson was the rightful Governor. -
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Herman Talmadge
Herman Talmadge Interview (Key point in the video 4:24 through 5:58) Herman Talmadge was involved in the 1946 Governors race when his father died soon after his 4th election. He was voted in by the General Assembly January of 1947. However the Georgia Supreme Court vacated him from the office. Yet later in 1948 he won an election and was then reelected in 1950 for an entire 4 year term. During his time as Governor he accomplished -
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Herman Talmadge Continuation
many things such as attracting industry to the state. He also enacted the state's first sales tax which helped improve the state's public educations tremendously. However, Talmadge was a segregationist and opposed all attempts of integration in public schools. -
Brown vs Board of Education
Infographic with details In 1950, 7 year old African American student Linda Brown tried enrolling into an all white school in Topeka Kansas. When she was denied, the NAACP helped the Brown family sue the Topeka Board of Education. The case reached the Supreme Court and in its ruling in 1954, "seperate but equal" schools were decreed unconstitutional. -
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Martin Luther King Jr.
Photo Gallery Martin Luther King Jr was one of the most prominent African American leaders of the Civil Rights movement. Raised in Atlanta his childhood was shaped by family, religion and education. After graducating from highschool he enrolled in Morehouse College where he studied a major in sociology... -
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Martin Luther King continuation
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1956 State Flag
After the decision made by Brown vs Board of Education the Georgia state flag was changed to include part of the confederate battle flag. This change was made to show the displeasure many southernors felt towards integration. -
Sibley Commision
When forced to decide between closing down or desegregating public schools, Governor Ernest Vandiver Jr. formed the Sibley Commision which was charged with the task of gathering information on how the Georgians felt about the desegregation of public schools. It was discovered that the majority of Georgians would rather close schools than allow them to be integrated. Yet ultimatley Governor Vandiver was forced to desegregate schools or risk a clash with the federal government. -
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SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commitee was an organization that coordinated youth led, nonviolent civil rights demonstrations such as sit ins, freedom rides and marches. While they were prevalent throughout the 1960's in Atlanta and Albany, the organization eventually disbanded due to campaigns brought in by violent activist parties such as the Black Panthers. -
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Andrew Young
Andrew Young was a renowned civil rights socialist known for the development of Atlanta's reputation. Starting in 1961, Young started working in the SCLC. He held workshops that taught the locals forms of nonviolent demonstrations. He became a trusted adviser to Martin Luther King Jr and rose to be an executive position. After MLK's death, Young was on of the few activists that continued strongly in his work, becoming the first African American to be elected to Congress since reconstruction. -
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter were the first two African Americans to attend the University fo Georgia. After persistently applying and being denied to enroll, the case was taken to court. In the end, US District Court judge announced declared that they were both qualified and entitled to attend UGA and would have to be admitted, which the immediatley were. By January 9, 1961 Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter were on campus to register for classes. -
Albany Movement
The Albany Movement is best known as a succesful failure. The Albany Movement was a peaceful demonstration organized by the SNCC to speak out against segregation. It soon failed because so many people were arrested that there was no one left to protest. However, this taught organizations to learn from their mistakes and how to successfully execute demonstrations in the future. -
March On Washington
https://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdfThe "I Have a Dream"speech March on Washington was on of the biggest civil rights demonstration ever seen, with over 200,00 Americans gathered in Washington to listen to the various speeches given by social and political leaders. It was during the March on Washington that Martin Luther King jr gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The massive rally resulted in the passing of the Civil Rights Act. -
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Lester Maddox
Lester Maddox was came as a surprise when he was elected at the governor of Atlanta in 1964. Beforehand he had been infamous for refusing to desegregate his restaurant and closing it down instead. However, as a Governor he appointed more African Americans into government positions than any other governor. -
Civil Rights Act
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEauRq1WxQ (LBJ address on the Civil Rights Act, key point in 3:33 - 4:03) The Civil Rights Act was the law that ended segregation. When enacted, it outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. -
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Maynard Jackson
Maynard Jackson is most famously known as being the first African American mayor of Atlanta. His major accomplishments as the mayor include building the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which in turn encouraged foreign companies to base themselves in the city.
