a. Describe major developments in civil rights and Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s; include the roles of Herman Talmadge, Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.

b. Analyze the role Georgia and prominent Georgians played in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s; include such events as the founding of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Sibley Commission, admission of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to the University of Georgia, Albany Movement, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson as mayor of Atlanta, and the role of Lester Maddox.

c. Discuss the impact of Andrew Young on Georgia.

SS8H11 The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.

Re-elected governor in 1950

Expanded schools to include grades 1-12

Lengthened school year to 9 months

Raised standards for buildings, equipment, transportation and school curricula

3 percent tax passed to pay for changes

Herman Talmadge

Educator and president of Morehouse College

Mentor to MLK, Jr.

Chairman of the Atlanta Board of Education

Has a street and a high school named in his honor in southwest Atlanta

Benjamin Mays

Eugene Talmadge was elected but died before taking office

Three men claimed the office: Ellis Arnall (current governor), Herman Talmadge (Eugene’s son who was chosen by the legislature based on write-in votes in the election) and Melvin Thompson (Lt. Governor)

In March, the Georgia Supreme court ruled that Melvin Thompson was the rightful head of the state until a special election could be held in 1948

Herman Talmadge won that election

1946 Governor’s Race(The Three Governors Episode)

Many were offended by the Confederate battle emblem on the flag because of its references to slavery

Others felt it was a memorial to the war dead

The flag was hurting business and tourism in the state

Gov. Roy Barnes changed the flag

Sonny Perdue promised to change the flag if elected

1956 State Flag

The state allowed only white Democrats to vote in the primary elections (those in which candidates from each party are chosen)

This kept blacks from choosing their own candidates – they were only allowed to vote in the general election in which there really wasn’t a choice

In 1946, the U. S. Supreme Court, Georgia’s white primary system unconstitution (King V. Chapman)

End of the White Primary

1948: racial integration ordered in armed forces1950: Brown v. Board of Education – case struck down “separate but equal” concept; schools were to be integrated Sibley Commission: found that most Georgians would rather close schools than integrateMore private schools opened1961: Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes first African American students at UGA 1971: All Georgia public schools integrated

The Supreme Court and The Supreme Court and EducationEducation

Dec. 1, 1955: Rosa Parks, African American, refused to give up her bus seat to whites in Montgomery, AL

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the NAACP organized civic leaders and prepared marches

Supreme court ruled segregation on public transportation unconstitutional

Montgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery Bus Boycott

Martin Luther King, Jr. of Atlanta Developed a nonviolent approach to social changeFour-prong approach:• direct, nonviolent actions• legal remedies• ballots• economic boycotts

SCLC: Southern Christian Leadership Conference – civil rights group led by Dr. KingSit-in: Dr. King’s strategy to people refuse to leave a public building until their demands are met

A Nonviolent Movement is BornA Nonviolent Movement is Born

1961: Albany, GA becomes center of civil rights activity

SNCC: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee – challenged segregated bus system in Albany

Nearly 500 people jailed

Biracial committee formed to study concerns of African Americans

The Albany MovementThe Albany Movement

1963: Martin Luther King, Jr. begins work to integrate all aspects of public life in Birmingham, AL

Over 3000 people arrested

Bomb killed 4 black children in their church

African Americans and whites from the north and south began to join together to stop the violence

Protests Move to AlabamaProtests Move to Alabama

President Kennedy created new civil rights laws

Kennedy was assassinated before the new laws came into effect

Lyndon Johnson became president and pushed for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

All public facilities had to be integrated

Discrimination was prohibited in business and labor unions

The Civil Rights ActThe Civil Rights Act

1964: Freedom Summer – Martin Luther King, Jr. and SNCC worked to get African Americans registered to vote

Selma-to-Montgomery, AL march led by Dr. King

Nearly 30,000 marchers

Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – one million African Americans were registered to vote

The Voting Rights ActThe Voting Rights Act

Some people moved from the nonviolent strategies to more aggressive ones

SNCC and “Black Panthers” confronted police

Malcolm X preached black separatism

Race riots in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Newark

April 1968: Dr. King assassinated in Memphis, TN while working with striking sanitation workers

A Shift in MoodA Shift in Mood

Integration in Atlanta was relatively peacefulChurch leaders get much credit for this peaceful changeWilliam Hartsfield: Atlanta mayor who expanded Atlanta’s airport and worked with African American and white leaders; worked to integrate Atlanta’s schools Ivan Allen: Atlanta mayor ordered removal of “white” and “colored” segregation signs in the City Hall; integrated police and fire services and city governmentTroubled times followed but were overcomeThe city became known as “the city too busy to hate”

Atlanta: A Case Study in ChangeAtlanta: A Case Study in Change

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Elected governor 1967

Segregationist who surprised everyone by appointing more blacks to state boards and commissions than all prior governors combined

Lester Maddox