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Benjamin Mays
Benjamin Mays became more active in the Civil Rights Movement in 1940. He was a minister, educator, and the President of Morehouse College in Atlanta. Inspired by Gandhi's teachings, he believed that all people should be treated equally and with respect. He spoke out against segregation even before the Civil Rigths Movement. With his beliefs, he was a teacher to Martin Luther King Junior -
Period: to
1945
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End of White Primary
In 1946, the courts ruled that the Democratic white primary
in Georgia was a violation of the 14th Amendment. -
Three Governor's Race
Herman Talmadge CommentsIn November 1946, Eugene Talmadge was elected for a fourth term as governor, but died before taking office. Three men tried claiming the office. Ellis Arnall wa the current governor, Melvin E. Thompson was the Leuitenant Governor, and Herman Talmadge was the son of Eugene Talmadge. The contested election was challenged in court, and the GA Supreme Court decided that Melvin E. Thompson would take the position. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
This was the date of the official decision. Linda Brown was a girl who wanted to attend a white school. She was refused enrollment and directed to a Blacks Only school. The NAACP helped her take action and brought the case to court. IT eventually reached Supreme Court. The prior decision of Plessy vs. Fergusen which had the idea of "Seperate but Equal" was declared unconstitutional, breaking segregation.This was met with negative reaction by the South. The picture was taken at the time. -
1956 Georgia Flag Change
Georgia changed its flag to include the Confederate Civil War Battle Flag to protest the decision of the Brown vs. the Board of Education case. This flag stayed untill 2011. -
The Sibley Commission
Georgia refused to take any part in school desegregation after the 1954 Brown decision and threatened the loss of funding for andy school who complied. In 1960, Georgia formed a commssion led by John Sibley to get the Georgian's opinions on the matter. Sibley found that there were mixed feelings, so he advised accordingly. He asked that the law punishing integrated schools should be repealed, but each school district should be able to decide about integration. -
SNCC Emerges
It started during a student meeting at Shaw University. Many students decided to follow MLK Jr.'s strategy of non-violence and created the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Julian bond was one of the leaders and a graduate of Morehouse college. He was later elected as a senator. The SNCC did sit-ins at lunch counters to protest. It soon helped with voter registrations. -
Hamilton Holmes & Charlayne Hunter
On this day, the two black students are the first allowed to enroll at UGA. This was met with a massive uproar that eventually ended in a riot a few days later. The two were sent away from the university saying that there was too much trouble going on, but the court ordered them to be allowed back. This picture is a primary document because it was taken at the time of their graduation. I used it because it was the one that showed their faces the most. -
Albany Movement Begins
The Albany Movement began in the fall of 1961 and ended in the summer of 1962 at Albany Georgia as a desegregation movement. It was supposed to bring attention to the Civil Rights Movemetn to end segregation. To bring more attention, the NAACP and SNCC brought Martin Luther King Jr. However, the movement failed becuse of arguements between the NAACP and the SNCC, peaceful police tactics, and spreading out too much instead of focusing on one kind of segregation. -
March on Washington
250,000+ people gathered in Washington DC to demand equal rights fro Blacks. Martin Luther King Jr. said his speech "I Have a Dream" here. -
Civil Rights Act
The March on Washington made the Senate think that there should be a Civil Rights Act. It would stop discrimination in all public places and make it illegal to discriminate in employment on the idea of inferior race or sex. Richard B. Russel and 18 other southern Democrats made a 75- day filibuster but the law was passed in June of 1964. The picture is the act on paper, so it is a primary document. -
Lester Maddox's Restaurant Closes
On this day, Maddox permenantly shut down his restaurant . He ran for governor in 1966 and won. Unexpectedly, more blacks were hired by him for government jobs than any other governor before. He spent more money on universities and was in favor of prision reform. He also started a day where citizens could talk to him once a month called "People's Day." This is a primary source because it was taken at the time. -
MLK Jr. Assassination
One of the biggest leaders of the Civil Rights Movement was assassinated on this day. He was born in Atlanta Georgia and studied at Morehouse Colledge under Benjamin Mays. MLK Jr. believed that non-violent protesting is what changes things. In Montgomery, Alabama, he led a bus boycott. He was also the founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The picture was taken at the time, so it is a primary document. -
Andrew Young Becomes Member of House of Representatives
Andrerw Young organized voter registration and desegregation efforts in Albany and more South cities in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the first Black HoR member since reconstruction. He was known as one of Georgia's greatest Civil Rights leaders. Jimmy Carter appointed him as ambassador to the UN in 1977. He became the mayor of Atlanta in 1981 after Maynard Jackson. He served as a co-chairman to the Atlanta Commission of Olympic Games. -
Maynard Jackson Becomes Mayor
Maynard Jackson beat Mayor Sam Massel and became the first Black mayor of a major US city. He helped imrove racial relations between the people and worked on many huge projects. He presided over building new terminals in Hartsfield Airport. The airport was renamed to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport after his death. The picture is a primary document because it was taken at the time.
