Transcript Modern Georgia

Civil Rights
Movement part
Deaux
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.
Why did things need to change?
http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/at
lantas_example
http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/ci
vil_rights_in_the_classroom
the founding of the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
The SNCC (pronounced “snick”) was one of the
major civil rights organizations of the 1960s. A
national organization formed in North Carolina, it
worked with the Southern Leadership Conference
and focused on orchestrating peaceful, non-violent
protest. It was made up of black and white
students. They boycotted segregated businesses
and used sit-ins to cause businesses to lose money.
They participated in Freedom Rides
The group, made up of high school and
college-aged students, became known for
sit-ins, freedom rides, and the “freedom
summer” in Mississippi.
Sit-in at Woolworth’s
http://www.todayingeorgiahistory.org/
Albany Movement
In Georgia, SNCC, NAACP, and Dr. King
helped organize the movement to end
segregation in the GA city.
Held marches, boycotts, and helped African
Americans to vote.
Albany Movement
http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/b
eat_of_civil_rights
In Atlanta, the group organized successful
sit-ins in the city in 1960. After moving
their focus from Mississippi back to Atlanta
in 1964, the group was victorious in helping
African-Americans gain several General
Assembly seats in the reapportionment
election. One was Julian Bond, who was the
SNCC’s communications director.
In 1966, the ideology of the organization
changed. Its leaders began to support racial
separation and “black power” doctrines.
Under the leadership of Stokley
Carmichael, the SNCC removed its white
members. Under Carmichael’s successor, H.
Rap Brown, the organization affiliated itself
with the Black Panther party and removed
“non-violent” from its title.
UGA Desegregates
1961 African-Americans were allowed to
attend UGA.
Hamilton Holmes & Charlayne Hunter were
first black students.
Both were harassed, taunted, and
threatened.
1963 both had earned their degrees.
admission of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne
Hunter to the University of Georgia
http://crdl.usg.edu/cgi/crdl?format=_video&query
=id%3Augabma_wsbn_33580&Welcome
In 1959, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter
did what many young people do after graduation:
applied for college. These two students would
have been ideal candidates for any institution of
higher learning.
Soon after arriving on campus a mob of
students, locals, and members of the KKK
started a riot on campus and threw bricks
and rocks through Hunters dorm window
(Holmes lived off campus).
Sibley Commission
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Multime
dia.jsp?id=m-2035&adv=y&hl=y
After the Brown v. Board supreme court
decision, the Georgia General Assembly
supported “massive resistance” to the
desegregation of Georgia’s public schools.
Many school districts in GA threatened to
close their schools.
Federal govt threatened to cut funding.
Not wanting to make the choice
without the input of the voters,
Vandiver pushed for legislation
that would create a committee
to investigate Georgian’s
opinions on the matter.
John Sibley, a segregationist lawyer
who also believed resistance to federal
mandates was useless, led 10 hearings
across the state to determine if the
people felt that they should continue to
resist the federal government or change
laws to integrate schools.
John Sibley
View of John Sibley
(right), head of the
General Assembly
Committee on Schools
and Claude Purcell
during a meeting
of the Committee
in Atlanta, GA
The purpose of the commission was to
figure out about the problem of Georgia’s
school integration.
After the sessions, 60% of Georgians
claimed that they would rather close the
public schools than to integrate.
Despite the findings, Sibley pushed for
schools in Georgia to desegregate on a
limited basis.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Most influential leader during Civil
Rights Movement.
Learned about non-violent protests
from mentor, Benjamin Mays
Organized Montgomery bus boycott
Founded SCLC (Southern Christian
Leadership Committee_
http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/crdl/do:ugab
Helped organize Albany Movement
Helped desegregate the south
March on Washington
March on Washington
In 1963, over 250,000 civil rights activists
gathered in Washington D.C. to promote their
cause and push for civil rights legislation.
During the march, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave
what is arguably his most famous speech: “I Have
a Dream.”
The March on Washington led to the passage of
the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and The Voting
Rights Act of 1965 and made King the most well
known spokesperson of the Civil Rights
Movement.
Civil Rights Act
Proposed by John F. Kennedy… he was
assassinated before the bill became law.
Due in part to the March on Washington,
the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of
1965.
All bills were signed into law by President
Lyndon B. Johnson.
http://app.discoveryeducation.com/search?
Ntt=civil+rights+act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964: Forbade
discrimination on the basis of sex and race
in hiring, promoting, and firing.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Prohibited
states from imposing any voting
qualification on voting or deny the right of
any citizen of the United States to vote on
account of race or color.
the election of Maynard Jackson as
mayor of Atlanta
Maynard Jackson: the first African-American
mayor of a major southern city.
in 1968 ran against Herman Talmadge for Senate
where he lost handily. However, he won the
majority of votes from the city of Atlanta and
became a force to be reckoned with in the city’s
politics.
The next year he became vice-mayor of Atlanta,
and four years later was elected mayor. He was
only 35 years old at the time of his election.
Jackson served as mayor of Atlanta from
1973-1981 and again from 1990-1994.
While mayor he was instrumental in
providing more contract work to blackowned businesses and expanding Hartsfield
International Airport.
sought to add more black police officers to
the city’s police force and to make sure that
more African-Americans were promoted in
the department.
During his term in the 1990s he
worked closely with Andrew Young
and Billy Paine to bring the Olympics
to the city.
In his honor the city of Atlanta
renamed Hartsfield Airport to
Hartsfield-Jackson International
Airport.
Lester Maddox – a Juxtaposition
In 1947, he opened the Pickrick restaurant
near the campus of Georgia Tech.
He was known throughout the nation for his
use of ax handles to forcefully removal
African-Americans who tried to integrate
his restaurant. He later closed the Pickrick
rather than allow it to be integrated.
He opposed desegregation and encouraged
parents to put kids in private schools
He denied being a racist
He considered himself a states rights
activist instead.
He did a lot of good for equality when he
was governor of GA.
He supported many programs to help the
poor
the role of Lester Maddox
Appointed more African-Americans to
government positions
He appointed first African-American to head a
state department.
Helped Georgians of all color, especially the
poor.
received support of both whites and blacks alike
due to his “little people’s days.”