History Standard
• SS8H11 The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the
modern civil rights movement.
• SS8H11.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.
• SS8H11.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.
• SS8H11.c  Discuss the impact of Andrew Young on Georgia.
Herman Talmadge & 1956 GA Flag
Herman Talmadge
Georgia Flag Flap…
• Received write-in votes in the
1946 Governor’s election
• The flag on the left was in
place before the Brown v. Board
of Education decision made
segregation illegal.
• In response to the Brown
decision, the General
Assembly changed the flag to
include the Confederate “X”
• The flag was changed in 2001
and lastly in 2004
• Part of 3 Governor’s
Controversy
– Elected Governor in a special
election in 1948
• Began sales tax to support
education
• Brought more industry to the
state
• Supporter of Segregation
• Elected to US Senate in 1956
– Charged with financial
misconduct in 1979 & lost
reelection
Benjamin Mays & MLK
• Dr. Mays was born to
former slaves and
sharecroppers in SC
• Traveled to India in 1936
and met with Ghandi
• Became President of
Morehouse College in 1940
– Served as a professor and a
mentor to MLK
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
– 1929 – 1968
• Minister in Montgomery
when Rosa Parks was
arrested
– This led to his involvement
and eventual leadership in the
civil rights movement
• Supporter of
NONVIOLENCE
– Inspired by Ghandi & Mays
• Received Nobel Peace Prize
• Was assassinated in
Memphis. Tennessee in 1968
Civil Rights
Events/Groups
• SNCC
– Student Non-violent
Coordinating Committee
• Sit-ins & protests
• SCLC
– Southern Christian
Leadership Conference
• Albany Movement
– Not a success – tried to do
too much
• March on Washington
– Aug. 1963 over 200,000
attended; “I have a dream”
Sibley Commission & UGA
• In 1960, the Sibley
Commission was tasked with
studying the issue of
integration of public schools
– 60% of Georgians preferred
closing schools vs. integrating
• In 1961, UGA admitted its first
two black students
– Charlayne Hunter & Hamilton
Holmes
• Atlanta public schools
integrated in 1961 but it took
almost 10 years for every
school in Georgia to finally
follow…
Governor Lester Maddox
• 1966 – 1971
• The last overtly segregationist governor in
Georgia history
– Appointed more African Americans to
government positions than all other governors
before him combined
• Hosted “People’s Days” twice a month to
allow citizens to voice complaints or receive
assistance
– Gained support of both white & black voters
– Refused to fly flags at half staff after the murder
of Dr. King
Jackson & Young
Maynard Jackson
• Graduated from Morehouse at
18
• Elected Mayor of Atlanta at
age 35 (1973 – 1981; 1990-1994)
– 1ST BLACK MAYOR OF A
MAJOR SOUTHERN CITY
• Important because of Atlanta’s
role in the Confederacy
• Expanded the airport,
MARTA, and increased the
number of black police officers
• Helped bring the 1996
Olympics to Georgia
• Died in 2003
Andrew Young
• Came to GA as a minister
• Began working with the SCLC to
assist with voter registration
– Became a close associate and friend
of Dr. King
• With MLK on the day of his
assassination
• 1972 – became Georgia’s first
Black US Congressman since
Reconstruction
• 1977 – appointed US Ambassador
to the United Nations by Pres.
Carter
• 1981 – elected Mayor of Atlanta
• Helped to bring the 1996
Olympics to Georgia
• Continues to work world-wide
for equality still today