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Benjamin Mays
Mays was the president of the Morehouse College. There he mentored his greatest student, Martin Luther King Jr.. Mays believed in the dignity of all human beings and the incompatibility of American democratic ideals with American social practices. He was among the most articulate and outspoken critics of segregation. He also played an important leadership role in the NAACP and the YMCA. -
!946 Governor's Race/End of the White Primary
VIDEO
After the death of Eugene Taldmadge, his supporters devised a plan that would allow the General Assembly to elect another governor; it would be his son, Herman. But since it is the job of the Lieutenant Governor to fulfill the role of governor if the he/she is to die, Melvin Thompson claimed the role. Also, the outgoing governor, Ellis Arnall, was reluctant to leave. This resulted in the "Three Governors Controversy". -
Brown v. Board of Education
VIDEO
Oliver Brown argued that his daughter should be allowed to attend an all white school because she would get a better education. The case went to the supreme court level and declared racial segregation unconstitutional because it violated the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Herman Talmadge
As governor, Talmdage enacted the state's first sales tax, resulting in a vast improvement in the state's public education system. He also attracted industry to Georgia and was an advocate for the timber industry. Talmadge heavily supported segregation and refused to integrate schools. As a member of the senate, he quickly owned the reoutation of being an enemy of desegregation and civil rights legislation. -
1956 State Flag
In 1956, some white Georgians wanted a new flag because of the upset in the "Brown vs Board of Education" case because it ended legal segregation. -
SNCC
SNCC VIDEO
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. SNCC tried to coordinate youth-led nonviolent, direct-action campaigns against segregation and other forms of racism. -
Sibley Commission
The Sibley Commission was responsible for gathering residents' ideas on desegregating schools and report them back to the Governor. The reports led to massive resistance to desegregation and avoided a conflict between the Governor and the federal government. -
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to UGA
They were the first two African Americans to enroll and be admitted into the University of Georgia. -
Albany Movement
The Albany Movement's goal was to desegregate Albany. It consisted of nonviolent meetings and protests led by William G. Anderson, but when 500 blacks had been jailed, the leaders brought in Martin Luther King Jr. to help keep the movement. The movement resulted in over 1,000 jailed blacks. -
March on Washington
VIDEO
There were 250,000 people who gathered, making it the largest gathering of the Civil Rights Movement. Members of the march were fighting for jobs and freedom for African Americans. During this march is when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act
It outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace, and by facilities that served the general public. -
Martin Luther King Jr.
VIDEO
King was the head of the SCLC and a student at the Morehouse College. He played a major role in ending racial segregation. He created the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Lester Maddox
He defeated Elllis Arnall in the 1966 governor election. He also gave UGA funding and wanted to benefit African Americans by fixing racial issues. -
Maynard Jackson as Mayor of Atlanta
He was the first African American mayor of Atlanta and any major southern city. He worked to reduce unemployment and improve socioeconomic conditions in black communities. -
Andrew Young
He was the first African American United Nations Ambassador. He was also a civil rights activist, congressman, businessman, and was a cochairman on the Atlanta Comittee for the 1996 Olympics.
