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Benjamin Mays is President of Morehouse
Benjamin Mays was a civil rights activist, teacher, preacher, mentor, scholar, and author, who became the president of Morehouse College where he taught Martin Luther King Jr. He also participated in organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the International Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). In 1957 he published the book called "Seeking to Be a Christian in Race Relations". After he retired, he continued speaking until his death. -
The three governor's race
This shows Herman Talmadge's point of viewEugene Talmadge was elected governor, but died before he was able to take office. Ellis Arnall thought he should be governor since he already was. However, Eugene's son, Herman Talmadge, got write-ins so he thought he should be governor. Also, the Georgia constitution says the lieutenant governor takes office when the governor dies, so M. E. Thompson thought he should be governor. -
Brown vs Board of Education
Brown vs Board of EducationBrown vs Board of Education was a decision made by the federal government making the segregation of schools by race illegal overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. Many states, especially in the south, were very mad about this decision and were still against the idea of black and white children being taught together, and made it obvious black children were not welcome in their schools. However, one by one black children went to white schools eventually desegregating the south. -
Georgia's new flag
On July 1st 1956, Georgia got a new flag to send a message that they were upset about the decision made by the Supreme Court. They said that segregation was no longer legal in the Brown vs. the Board of Education decision, so GA changed their flag to the one they had during the confederacy to protest. -
Segregation of Schools is Unconstitutional
In 1959 the segregation of schools was declared unconstitutional and the governor of Georgia, Ernest Vandiver Jr., was forced to make the decision to close the public school system, or to desegregate all public schools. He created the Sibley Commission to gather the view of the citizens of Georgia on the matter and report back. The decision was to desegregate schools. That way they could avoid an argument between Vandiver and the federal government. -
The SNCC is founded
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (also known as the SNCC) was made during the Civil rights movement. They supported nonviolent protests against racial violence like the March on Washington as well as freedom rides. -
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter are accepted into UGA
Terry Hazelwood editorial in the "Red and Black"Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter were the first African Americans to go to the University of Georgia, one of many segregated schools. They applied many times. At first they weren't allowed because "there wasn't enough space". After this went on a while, they sued the University Registrar for not accepting them, and they won the case. Many people were unhappy. There was a big riot. The link above shows what Terry Hazelwood wrote after the riot in the "Red and Black". -
Albany Movement begins
The Albany movement was the first attempt during the civil rights era to desegregate an area. During the movement to desegregate the town of Albany, 1,000 African Americans were put in jail including Martin Luther King Jr. who admitted defeat. However, the failure of the Albany movement taught Mr. King that he needed to work harder for what he believed in resulting in the sucess in Birmingham, Alabama. -
The March on Washington
The March on Washington was made up of about 250,000 people, one fourth of who were white. They had come from all over the country to march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial for civil rights for all races. During this event, Martin Luther King Junior was sent to jail where he wrote the famous "Letter from Birmingham City Jail".<a href='http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/letter-from-birmingham-city-jail-excerpts/' >Excerpts from the Letter From Birmingham City -
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech
"I have a dream" speechDuring the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech where he talked about his hopes of equality to all people no matter their race. Some of his other accomplishments include leading the bus boycott; being president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), being head of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), and publishing "Stride Toward Freedom”. His memorial is King Center in ATL. -
The Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights act of 1964The Civil Rights Act outlawed any form of discrimination by race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the United States of America. -
Lester Maddox sells The Pickrick
Lestor Maddox was a racist who believed in segregation, as well as the mayor of GA from 1967- 1971. He owned a restaurant called the Pickrick Cafeteria where he served only whites. All his customers, like him, loved segregation. In fact, he even had a wishing well that he called the "Make a Wish for Segregation" well. However, because of the Civil Rights act of 1964 he was taken to court for not serving blacks and chasing them out with a gun. He sold his restaurant instead of desegregating it. -
Herman Talmadge helps blacks
Herman Talmadge was Governor from 1987- 1981, and he was against The Civil Rights Movement for most of the time while he was governor. However, in the 1970s he started reaching out to black voters and helping them to have a say in the government. -
Maynard Jackson becomes mayor of ATL
Maynard Jackson was the first African American mayor in Atlanta as well as any large city in the south. He was in office from 1974- 1982. He worked to help create jobs and improve black communities during his time in office. -
Andrew Young becomes mayor of ATL
Andrew Young was a black civil rights activist. He worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Through the SCLC; he taught people who believed in civil rights about nonviolent ways to help desegregate southern areas. He worked with MLK, and was there when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. He then became the second black governor of Atlanta after Maynard Jackson. He served two terms as mayor and then ran for governor of GA but was defeated.
