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Benjamin Mays as President of Morehouse College
Benjamin Mays, a significant mentor to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most outspoken critics of segregation before the rise of the modern civil rights movemnts. In 1940 he became the president of Morehouse College, and there he became a very influencial person on key events in history. The Morehouse College was well-known as the college that Martin Luther King Jr. attended. At his time at the college, they grew close relationships. -
The Governor's Race of the White Primary
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/three-governors-conThe Governor's Race to the White Primary is also known as the Three Governor's Controversy. This event occured due to Eugene Taldmadge's death. Ellis Arnall (the governor), Melvin Thompson (the lieutenant governor), and Herman Taldmadge (who was selected by the General Assembly for governor) argued over the governor position; the final decision was that Thompson should be governor until a special election is held. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of EducationThis court decision reversed the Plessy v. Fergurson case decision that made segregation legal. The case made segregation illegal in public education, but it still didn't offer a method to sort out segregation. This case was one of the first big steps towards creating a country without segregation. -
1956 Georgia State Flag
In 1955, Democratic Leader John Sammons Bell began a campaign to substitute the Confederacy flag into the Georgia State flag. The legislation to put the Confederate flag in the Georgia State flag quickly processed through the General Assembly. Two-thirds of the flag was the Confederate flag. -
Sibley Commission
Governor Enrest Vandiver Jr was pressured to decide between closing public schools and taking the federal order to desegregate them. The Sibley Commission gathered state residents' statements regarding desegregation and reported back to the governor. The Sibley Commission made a decision that massive resistance to desegregation should be ended. Despite Sibley's effort to minimize support for resistance, 60% of witnesses supported total segregation. -
SNCC
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sncc The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committe was established by Ella Baker. SNCC was a youth-led organization, and it protested against segregation using nonviolence. It was one of the major civil rights organizations in the 1960s, and it was mainly composed of college and high school students. It was famous for freedom rides, and they also led the Albany Movement. -
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to UGA
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter were admitted to UGA. Both were denied even though they were highly qualified, and the federal court ruled that they should be allowed to attend. Vandiver ordered the uniersity to be closed, and his decision was reversed by a federal judge. The bill introduced by Vandiver to avoid further conflict repealed cutoff funds laws for both the university and public schools and officially desegregated school boards. -
Albany Movement
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/albany-movementMembers of the SNCC and many other groups gathered to protest the arrests of blacks attmepting to integrate the city's buses and trains. This was the first civil rights nonviolent movement, and it was a successful failure. It was a failure because police put so many of the protestors in jai that there were no protestors left to protest. After SNCC left Albany, the county commission removed all segregation laws. From this event, civil rights activists learned to organize mass demonstrations. -
The March on Washington
Largest civil rights movement demonstration that about 250,000 people participated for jobs and freedom, and it was organized by various civil rights groups to display the political and social challenges African Americans had to face. Martin Luther King Jr's famous "I Have a Dream" speech was given during this event. The march lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public facilities and banned discrimination during employment by race, religion, and sex. The act was first introduced by President John F. Kennedy, and it passed despite the opposition from southern members of Congress. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to bring equality to African Americans. This prohibited states from imposing any voter qualification to deny the right of any US citizen to vote on account of race or color. -
The Election of Lester Maddox
Lester Maddox was nominated for the 1966 Election, and he went into office on January 11, 1967. Lester Maddox appointed more African Americans to government positions and he gained support mainly from African Americans. There was great controversy as having him as a governor, but overally he was a popular governor that positively influenced Georgia. -
The Election of Maynard Jackson
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/maynard-jackson-1938-2003 On January 7, 1974, Maynard Jackson was the first African American to become a mayor in Georgia, and created various affirmative action programs that caused the employment rate of minorities to rise dramatically. One of Jackson's main priorities was to ensure that minority businesses received more support, and he also added a massive terminal in the airport. -
Andrew Young in Congress
http://www.nps.gov/features/malu/feat0002/wof/Andrew_Young.htmAndrew Young worked with the SCLC, the Atlanta-based civil rights organization led by Martin Luther King Jr. Young was the first African American since Reconstruction to be elected to Congress from Georgia. While in Congress, he evaluated the causes of poor and working-class Americans and opposed efforts to increase military budgets. In 1981, he was elected as the mayor of Atlanta, and he helped create political power for blacks.
