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Benjamin Mays
Benjamin Mays was a well-known black man who was born on August 1st, 1984. He was a very well-known critic before the civil rights era. He became president of Morehouse College in the 1940's, and he was in-fact the mentor of young Martin Luther King Jr.. MLK was an undergraduate student then, and throughtout the years, the two developed a close friendship. -
End of White Primary
The white primary was a way that southern whites prevented African Americans from voting in the elections. Blacks were not allowed to vote in the Democratic Primary. In 1944, Thomas Brewer and Primus King tried to vote in the primary, but they were removed and not allowed to vote. They took this to court. The case King vs. Chapman went to federal court, and there it was ruled that the white primary was against the law and against the Constitution. -
The 1946 Governor's Race (Three Governor's Controversary)
Before elections,Talmadge's supporters knew he was sick and he might die, so they went to rural areas in Georgia and had many write-in ballots secretly filled in with the name Herman Talmadge, Eugene's son. Eugene Talmadge was elected, but he died before he was inaugurated.The leuitenant governor Thomspon claimed he is governor by the law. Ellis Arnall(former governor) claimed he was, because Eugene wasn't inaugurated. Hermanto was after the secret write in ballots showed up. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown vs. Board of Education happened in Topeka, Kansas in 1954. Oliver Brown, a black man, filed an application for his daughter to go to a white school since the nearest black school was far away and the education was poor. Her application was denied since she was African American, and it was a white-only school. Brown went to court with the case, and the supreme court ruled that segregation was illegal. -
1956 State Flag
After Brown vs. Board of Education, many southern states were trying to find ways to protest against integration. One way that Georgia found they could was by changing its state flag. Before 1956, Georgia's state flag was only partially based off of the Confederate flag, but the 1956 State Flag had the Confederate battle flag on it showing Georgia's dislike for blacks and preference for white supremacy. -
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter were two African American high school graduates who had applied to college, like any other student. They both were exceptional and ideal students for any college. However, they both were rejected from the Universtiy of Georgia due to their race. Holmes and Hunter went to court with the case, and the federal court ruled in their favor. They were in the freshman class of UGA in 1961. -
Sibley Commission
After Brown vs. Board of Education, it was required that all schools integrate. GA refused to listen to the federal government. The opposition to integration was so strong that a commission(the Sibley Commission) was formed to ask Georgians on their opinion about integrated schools. 60% said that they would rather shut down schools than integrate them. The GA Assembly passed a law that stated if a school integrated, their funds from the government would be cut. Many schools began shutting down. -
Albany Movement
The Albany Movement is an example of a successful failure. By 1961, segregation was illegal, but in Albany, GA, segregation was still a normal practice. The SNCC, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, was comprised of young blacks motivated for equal treatment. The SNCC decided to protest in Albany by sitting and ordering food at lunch counters, which were for whites. They were verbally and physically harrassed there. The SNCC didn't accomplish anything here, but learned a lot from it. -
The March on Washington
Over 200,000 civl rights supporter, white and black, gathered in Washington D.C. to march and protest for jobs and freedom for African Americans. The march was led by Martin Luther King Jr., an African American man from Georgia who actively spoke out against segregation and discrimination, and he promoted nonviolence. He gave his most famous speech "I Have A Dream" during this march on the steps on Lincoln Memorial. This march led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 being passed. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by the U.S. Congress, and it was signed into law by president Lydon B. Johnson. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 stated that discrimination due to race and sex was illegal, and that it could not be the reason for firing,promoting, or hiring someone. Another civl rights act was the Voting Act of 1965 which made voting requirements illegal and denying someone the right to vote based on race. These civil rights act came as a result of the March on Washington. -
Lester Maddox Elected for Governor
Lester Maddox was born in 1915. He was one of the most pro-segregation governors Georgia has ever had. Before he was governor, he built bombs during WWII and opened a restaurant which later closed because he refused to integrate it. Maddox ran for mayor twice and for leuitenent governor once, and he lost all three times. Suprisingly in 1966, he unseated Ellis Arnall and became governor, and he actually did elect some black government officials. After his term, he became leutenant governor. -
Andrew Young Elected Congressman
Andrew Young was born in 1932. Throughout his middle years, he worked in close partnership with Martin Luther King Jr. to promote equal rights and treatment for blacks. In 1972, he became the first African American Congressman of Georgia since the reconstruction era, and he resigned in 1979. In 18981, he was elected Mayor of Atlanta. He was vital for the growth of Georgia through the 1980's and helped Atlanta become recognized. He left office in 1989 and continued to help Georgia economically. -
Maynard Jackson Elected Mayor
Maynard Jackson was born in 1938. He ran for Georgia Senate at a young age, but he lost to Herman Talmadge in 1968. Later he was elected vice-mayor of GA. Then in 1973, Jackson was elected Mayor of Atlanta and became the first black southern mayor. He served 1973-1981 and 1990-1994. During his terms, he employed many black construction firms and helped grow the Hartsfield Airport. He also helped more African Americans become police. The airport is also named in honor of Jackson.
