1. Benjamin Mays and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
SS8H11 The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
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

2. What do you know about these individuals and what do they have in common?
Benjamin Mays
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Two of them were influential leaders during the Civil Rights Movement and Gandhi inspired both of them with his principles of non-violent protests.
Gandhi

3. Essential Question: How did influential people help ignite the Civil Rights Movement?

4. Standard:
SS8H11a. 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 then end of the white primary, Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.

5. Use your Graphic Organizer to Take Notes

6. Benjamin Mays

7. Most famous for his role as a mentor for Martin Luther King, Jr.
Benjamin Mays
Most famous for his role as a mentor for Martin Luther King, Jr.
However, he was a leading advocate of civil rights before and after the modern Civil Rights Movement.

8. Benjamin Mays
He was born to former slaves and sharecroppers in South Carolina
Education was a focus of his life. Through overwhelming odds, he earned multiple degrees including a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

9. Benjamin Mays
In 1936, he traveled to India and met with Gandhi where they discussed the “passive resistance” strategies that Gandhi was using against the British. [Non-violent Protest]

10. Benjamin Mays
In 1940, he became president of Morehouse College where he later met and became mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr.

11. Benjamin Mays
He retired in 1967, but continued to be involved with organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).

12. He remained an active writer and speaker until his death in 1984.
Benjamin Mays
He remained an active writer and speaker until his death in 1984.

13. Benjamin Mays

14. Think, Pair, Share
In your opinion, what was Benjamin May’s greatest contribution to the Civil Rights Movement?

15. Martin Luther King, Jr.

16. Martin Luther King, Jr.
His work during the Civil Rights Movement earned him the Nobel Peace Prize and led to a national holiday created in his honor.
Due to King’s tireless efforts and devotion to non-violent protest, he is often thought of as the “leader” of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

17. Martin Luther King, Jr. Born in Atlanta
Graduated from high school at 15 when he then entered Morehouse College
As the son and grandson of ministers, King eventually chose the same profession

18. Martin Luther King, Jr.
He earned his Ph.D. from Boston University where he met his wife Coretta Scott.
In 1954, he became the pastor of a church in Montgomery, Alabama.

19. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1955, he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott that ended segregation of buses in Montgomery.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott [1:55]

20. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1957, he formed a group called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), to lead anti-discrimination marches and protests throughout the South.

21. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1962, he participated in a desegregation movement in Albany, Ga. where he was arrested along with protestors.
In 1963, he participated in the March on Washington where he gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.

22. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1968, he was assassinated standing on the balcony of a hotel in Tennessee.

23. Martin Luther King, Jr.
He was instrumental in ending segregation and changing America’s views on race and racial equality.

24. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mini Bio [4:47]

25. Summarizer:
Describe the role of Benjamin Mays and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement.