Developments in Georgia from 1945 to
1970
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If you were tasked with recovering Atlanta’s
economy after the Great Depression and WWII,
what kind of changes would you make?
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Population shifts from
rural to urban because:
Boll weevil destroyed
crops
 African-Americans left to
northern cities
 People wanted factory
jobs in the cities
 Advanced agricultural
technology meant there
were less farming jobs
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Major businesses move to
Georgia after WWII
Became a hub for air and trucking
industries as well
 Rapid increase in technological and
industrial development
 Major League Sports comes to
Atlanta- Ivan Allen, Jr.
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 Thousands of jobs
 Millions of dollars to state’s economy
 Helped Atlanta win the 1996 Olympics
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Goal: To make ATL the most economically
successful city in the south
Known for:
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Bringing air transportation to the state (Hartsfield
Airport)
Longest serving mayor
Very supportive of civil rights
Coined the phrase: “Atlanta- the city too busy to
hate”
 His support for the Civil Rights Movement led to the
relatively calm desegregation of ATL schools
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Mayor of Atlanta after Hartsfield
Continued Hartsfield’s aggressive
development policies
Extremely supportive of the Civil Rights
Movement and desegregation (worked closely
with MLK, Jr.)
Started MARTA
Best known for bringing major league sports to
ATL- built multiple stadiums, brought the
Falcons

After reading both articles and responding to
the focus questions, answer the following
question in one paragraph:

Who did more for the city of Atlanta- Hartsfield or
Allen? Justify your response.
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Governor who defeated
Eugene Talmadge
Very supportive of civil
rights:
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Restored accreditation to
universities
Abolished the poll tax
Lowered the voting age
Established a teacher’s
retirement system
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Soldiers returning from WWII began to push
for greater civil rights
Movement actually began in the 30s and 40s, as
a response to the Jim Crow laws
Most governors were segregationists (racists)
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Son of Eugene Talmadge
Elected governor in 1948
Always opposed any civil
rights measures: wanted
Georgia to stay segregated
Elected to Senate after
governor term was over
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Always supported agriculture
and industry in GA
Opponent of civil rights
movement
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Leading advocate of Civil
Rights Movement
Mentor to MLK, Jr.
Traveled to India to learn
civil disobedience strategies
from Gandhi
1940- Became President of
Morehouse
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Incredibly embarrassing for GA
3 different men claimed to be governor at the
same time (after Eugene Talmadge’s death
while in office)
All three men in the running were strict
segregationists, undoing many of the
progressive policies put in place by Ellis Arnall

Herman Talmadge, Melvin Thompson, Ellis Arnall
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GA had been a one-party state (Democrats)
White primary: Only white people could vote
in the primary election
Kept blacks from voting for a new candidate
This practice ended when several AfricanAmericans sued the state and won their case
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Many people around the country sued their
state to end segregation in public schoolssegregation was made illegal
Represented decades of social and legal battles
against institutionalized racism
GA Assembly opposed decision and said
governor could close schools that desegregated
Reaction: many private schools were opened to
keep segregation alive
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After Brown vs. BOE, white Georgians were
encouraged to massively resist desegregation
1956 flag included the Confederate battle flag,
used by the KKK and other hate groups
Stayed the state flag until 2003