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Benjamin Mays becomes president of Morehouse College
Benjamin Elijah Mays
Benjamin Mays becomes president of Morehouse College, where his most famous student is Martin Luther King Jr. He is mentor to King, and is involved with him until his death in 1968. He had gone to speak with Mahatma Gandhi in 1936, and learned from him as well. -
1946 Governors's Race/End of the White Primary
Herman Talmadge Remembers</a>Euegene Talmadge was elected governor, but is dead before taking office. As the General Assembly elects Herman Talmadge as governor in 1947, Melvin Thompson, the lieutenant governor, believes he should be the governor, as that is what the state constitution says he should be. Meanwhile, the previous governor, Ellis Arnall, refuses to leave office until it is all "sorted out." So there were three people insidethe governor's office all acting like they were governor at the same time. -
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Herman Talmadge elected into office as governor.
Herman Talmadge was elected governor in a special election held by the GA General Assembly. During his term, the state put into effect its first ever sales tax, which exceedingly aided the system of public education in the state, and invited new industry to the state. He was good in many aspects, however he was dedicated to keeping segregation in effect, and was against any integration attempt. -
Brown V. Board of Education Court Ruling.
Document
All nine justices of the supreme court rule that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." This meant that racial segregation was now illegal, and the case also overturned Plessy V. Ferguson, where it was legal to segregate. -
1956 Flag
The entire legislative session of 1956 was all about anger at the Brown V. Board of Education court ruling. Legislation was for changing the Georgia State Flag. They put the Confederate battle flag over two-thirds of the flag, as a sort of "we're not listening to you, let me show you" to the federal government. -
Student Non-violent Coordinating Committe
SNCC is founded. It emerged from student held lunch counter sit-ins. As its name says, its civil rights method is nonviolent. -
Holmes and Hunter file suit against Danner of UGA
Video
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter applied for the University of Georgia many times, but were repeatedly refused because of "limited space." When they sued, the ruling stated they would have been in already if they weren't colored. In front of Hunter's dorm, a riot broke out, and it was so violent the police used tear gas against the rioters. -
Ernest Vandiver has a bill passed regarding the Sibley Comission.
The governor did not want to comply with the federal government and desegregate schools, so he had the GAGA (Georgia General Assembly) create the Gen. Assembly Committe on Schools. They were supposed to go and ask citizens their opinion of it and report back to the governor. John Sibley led this comission, so it was often referred to as the Sibley Comission. There were two choices of opinion: keep segregation and shut down schools, or allow tokenism of integration, still half segregated. -
I ran out of space - Sibley Comission
Most reports were completely for segreagation at the expense of schools, however the committe reported otherwise. It said to accept the federal decision and integrate schools. So, on Jan 18, Vandiver introduced a bill to the legislature, and it was passed on the 31st, and it repealed cutoff funds laws, segregational laws, and accepted they Sibley Commission's decision. -
Albany Movement
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committe (SNCC) held a movement in Albany, along with other major black improvement organizations. Mass meetings were held and there were many marches full of protestors, and by mid-December, over 500 demonstrators were jailed. To try and keep it up, MLK Jr. was invited to help coordinate the campaign. Police chief Laurie Pritchett was prepared for the onslaught of marchers, and had them all arrested. King saw what he did wrong, and learned from his mistakes. -
Lester Maddox loses an election
A segregationist, Lester Maddox ran four years before, against Hartsfield, and lost this year against Ivan Allen. -
March on/to Washington
An estimated 250000 Americans march to Washington, D.C. in belief that it will better their jobs and improver their freedom. Here, on the next day, MLK Jr. held his "I have a dream" speech. -
"I have a dream..."
"I have a dream..."
Martin Luther King Jr. gives a speech that can represent the high point in his career. King had been in the SNCC and staged sit-ins in the years before the speech. Another organization, CORE, staged freedom rides to test the law against segregation, which he refused to take part of. King was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
"An act to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States of America to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a..." -
I ran out of space - Civil Rights Act
Civil Rights Act, 1964 "...Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes." (88th United States Congress 1) -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Here on this date, before King conducted the Poor People's March to Washington, he was assassinated. He had not just been working for the betterment of the negroes, but civil rights for all people. -
Andrew Young elected to House of Reps.
Andrew Young becomes the first African American to be elected to the legislative branch since the Reconstruction era. Andrew Young had previously organized voter registration drives. He had also helped lead the "citizenship schools" that gave African Americans some extra help. He was also in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which ran the schools, and worked with MLK Jr., who trusted him very much. In 1964, he became its executive director. -
Maynard Jackson Elected Mayor of Atlanta
First African American mayor in a southern city. Though he didn't look like it, he was part African American, and was a cool mayor. He worked closely with Andrew Young, He graduated Morehouse college at only 18 years of age. As mayor, he made more municipal contracts for minority businesses from 1% to 35%.
