-
Benjamin Mays
Benjamin Mays was one of the mentors to Martin Luther King Jr. He was well known for being the president of Morehouse College located in Atlanta. One of his famous students was Martin Luther King Jr. He played a big part in organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Peace Corps Advisory Committee, the Southern Conference for Human Welfare and many more. Benjamin Mays was also a speaker and lecturer. -
Governor's Race/End of the White Primary
The 1946 governor's race was a decision on who would be the next governor after the death of Eugene Talmadge. Eugene Talmadge's followers wanted his son, Herman Talmadge, to take over after his father. However, Ellis Arnall, a candidate against Herman Talmadge, and Melvin Thompson, the lieutenant governor, also believed that they should be the governor. In the end, Thompson served form 1946-48. In 1948 a special election was held between Thompson and Talmadge. Talmadge won becoming governor. -
Herman Talmadge
Herman Talmadge served as Georgia's governor in 1947 as well as from 1948-54. After being our governor he was elected to the Senate form 1956-80. While he was governor the state of Georgia had its first sales tax, which helped Georgia's public education.While he was governor, Georgia seemed to continue to progress. He was also very supportive of segreation and didn't want events like integrating schools to occur. In the Senate, Talmadge was known for being against desegregation and civil rights. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education article(located at the bottom of the page)
This Supreme Court case put the Constitution more towards racial equality. This case was about how the racial segregation of children in schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong believer in civil rights. He participated in manhy organizations and was the youngest man to recieve a Nobel Peace Prize. He was a "...symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure." -
1956 State Flag
John Sammons Bell created the idea of a new state flag. The design contained the Confederate Battle Flag. During the 1956 General Assembly, two men named Jefferson Lee Davis and Willis Harden presented the idea of the flag. The changing of the state flag was signed into a law on February 13, 1956 and the bill was in affect by July 1. -
Lester Maddox
He was an unlikely governor but became the governor of Georgia in 1966.Starting in 1957, he started to publically voice his opnions. After trying to win many races for different politic positions and losing, Maddox realized that a political career wasn't ment for him. However, he became governor and became very popular with many Georgia citizens and African Americans. After becoming governor, Maddox ran for many other positions in our country. He didn't win any of those positions and retired. -
SNCC
SNCC
The SNCC stands for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This group was founded by young college students who began sit-in protests to stand up for themselves. -
Sibley Commission
The Sibley Commission was when governor Ernest Vandiver Jr., was forced to make a hard decision. He was to decide on wether or not to close public schools or to desegregate them. Not wanting to be in trouble with the federal government, Vandiver passed a bill on January 31 desegregating public schools. -
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to UGA
University Desegregation
This event was when two students, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter were allowed into the University of Georgia, a segregatied school. This event caused mobs and anger because the state legislators had forbidden integrated schools. -
Andrew Young
Andrew young was a pastor who left his job to be with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) that was led by Martin Luther King Jr. After Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, Mr. Young got a seat in the House of Representatives and was the first African American from Georgia to gain a seat in Congress,. He tried to help the poor Americans and increase the military budget. In 1981, he became Atlanta's mayor. He is currently working as a professor at Georgia State University. -
Albany Movement
This movement began in 1961 and lasted till 1962. This movement was a campaign that challenged segregation and discrmination. Once this movement started Martin Luther King Jr. was asked to join and he did. Although this movement didn't ablolish segregation and discrimination, it was a learning experience for many of the leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. -
March on Washington
March on Washington
Over 200,000 people participated in this walk to show the political and social changes African Americans still had to cope with across the country. -
Civil Rights Act
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act ended all forms of segregation across the country. This act was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson and propsed by John F. Kennedy. -
Maynard Jackson
As mayor of Atlanta, Jackson was known for building a new terminal at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. He also succeeded by ensuring that minority businesses recieved more municipal contracts. He was the first African American mayor of Atlanta. He also served three terms as mayor. (1974-82 and 1990-94)
