The Civil Rights Movement I can describe major developments in civil rights and Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s.

Plessy V Ferguson -1895 – Homer Plessy targets Louisiana law causing segregation on rail cars -Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court decides against Plessy stating “Separate but equal is OK” -Clears the way for Jim Crow to allow segregation for almost 60 years until Brown v Board – A new precedent

Brown v Board of Education -1954 ends segregation in schools -Really marks the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement -Overturns precedent of Plessy v Fergusson -U.S. Supreme court decision in this case moves beyond the classroom to virtually all areas of segregation - Atlanta Public Schools were the first system in GA to integrate in 1961 (took 10 more years for all systems in GA to integrate) Brown v Board of Education

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Formed after the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, along with many other Civil Rights groups, by a group of pastors Martin Luther King Jr. was chosen as the spokesman for the SCLC because of his courage, intellect, and leadership skill during the boycott. SCLC located its headquarter in Atlanta.

Martin Luther King Jr. -Iconic Civil Rights Leader -Non-violent approach modeled after Gandhi & Mendela - Led Montgomery Bus Boycott (1954) -”I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington -Assassinated, April 1968

Smithsonian MLK Assassination Video

Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) - Represents the ‘youth’ movement of the Civil Rights era - Mainly college students used non-violent tactics to fight segregation - Sit-ins; protests; freedom riders - Headquartered in Atlanta - John Lewis was chairman of the organization from 1963-66 Freedom Riders Video

John Lewis Born to a sharecropper family in 1940 Arrested numerous times for protesting for equal rights Participated in the Freedom Rides, where he was attacked by white segregationists Along with MLK, he was a speaker at the 1963 March on Washington Beaten by Alabama state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama Would go on to be a congressman from Atlanta from 1986-present https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRwnXUbJdfg&t=92s – CNN Video Amazon Video – “John Lewis: Get in the Way”

1956 GA State Flag Georgia legislature were unhappy with the federal regulations on desegregation, so they changed the state flag in protest. Though the design of the pre-1956 flag was based on the first flag of the Confederate States of America, the 1956 flag was changed to include the Confederate battle flag, a flag that had been adopted by “hate groups” such as the KKK.

History of GA Flags Video Confederate States 1955 2001-2003 1956 2003

Sibley Commission Outcome of Sibley Commission Creation of Sibley Commission Outcome of Sibley Commission In 1960, a federal court order Georgia to integrate its schools Governor Vandiver Jr. had to decide between closing the schools or integrating them, basically as a stalling tactic Created the Sibley Commission to study whether Georgia’s residents wanted to integrate or close the schools John Sibley, an Atlanta business man, lawyer, and President of the UGA Alumni association chosen to lead Sibley was a staunch segregationist but believed that resistance to integration was impossible 60% of Georgia’s residents favored closing the schools over integrating them Sibley ignored these findings and recommended the state pass some small measures that would allow little integration, keeping the schools mostly segregated Ultimately recommended the local school districts decide whether to integrate and keep their schools open or close them.

Albany Movement -1961, Albany, Georgia -SNCC and NAACP begin protests to de-segregate ‘whites only’ waiting rooms at the bus station -Movement quickly grows with broad-ranging efforts to de-segregate all facets of the city -Movement failed since the police used non-violent tactics and jailed all participants it didn’t gain national attention -Sometimes viewed as an MLK failure due to lack of focus -Another view is that MLK learned valuable lessons in Albany and applied them elsewhere

March on Washington -The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom -August 28, 1963 -Attended by some 250,000 people -Largest demonstration ever seen in the nation's capital, and one of the first to have extensive television coverage -JFK not too excited about this protest “I Have A Dream” Speech

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Passed after JFK was assassinated Federal law that makes segregation of public facilities illegal (restaurants, theaters, parks, hotels, etc.) Prohibits discrimination in businesses Key example of the Federal Government taking action to force states into action

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.

Lester Maddox Last overtly segregationist Governor in the state’s history. Elected Governor in 1966; Lieutenant Governor during Carter Chased patrons from his Atlanta restaurant with an axe handle (true) Ironically he appointed more African-Americans to state boards and commissions than all prior governors combined Reformed prisons and integrated State Patrol