Georgia
and the
Modern Civil Rights
Movement
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Georgia took a central role in the
demand for change for African Americans in the U.S.:
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
1. The influence of BENJAMIN MAYS, father of the
Modern Civil Rights Movement
•  Minister & educator; President
of Morehouse College in Atlanta
•  Heavily influenced by the nonviolent teachings of Gandhi
•  Believed that all human beings
must be treated with dignity
•  Spoke out against segregation
before the Civil Rights movement
began
•  Became a teacher and fatherfigure to Martin Luther King, Jr.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
2. The influence of MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., leader of the
Modern Civil Rights Movement
•  Born in Atlanta, GA
•  Studied at Morehouse College
under Benjamin Mays
•  Believed in non-violent methods
of protest to bring about change:
marches, demonstrations, and
boycotts.
•  Led a bus boycott that ended bus
segregation in Montgomery, AL.
•  Founded the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC) to
lead anti-discrimination protests.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
A. In 1946, the courts ruled that the Democratic white primary
in Georgia was an unconstitutional violation of the 14th
Amendment (the “equal protection” clause).
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
B. The “Three Governor’s Controversy” – In November 1946,
Eugene Talmadge was elected for a fourth term as governor,
but died before taking office. A struggle ensued, with three
men claiming the office.
Herman Talmadge – the son of Eugene Talmadge
Ellis Arnall – the current Governor
Melvin E. Thompson – the Lieutenant Governor
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
B. The “Three Governor’s Controversy” – In November 1946,
Eugene Talmadge was elected for a fourth term as governor,
but died before taking office. A struggle ensued, with three
men claiming the office.
The contested election was challenged in court, and the GA
Supreme Court determined that M.E. Thompson was the
legal governor.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
B. The “Three Governor’s Controversy”
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
C. Brown vs. Board of Education
In 1954, the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) won a landmark decision in the
United States Supreme Court. According to the Supreme
Court, segregated schools were unconstitutional (the “equal
protection” clause).
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
C. Brown vs. Board of Education
“Separate but equal” was now
illegal because….
SEPARATE IS NEVER
EQUAL!!!
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
C. Brown vs. Board of Education
Many southern states protested the Supreme Court’s
decision, including Georgia…
MASSIVE RESISTANCE!!!
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson One (SS8H11a) – The student will describe the major developments in civil rights and
Georgia’s role during the 1940s and 1950s to include the roles of Herman Talmadge,
Benjamin Mays, the 1946 governor’s race and the end of the white primary, Brown vs. Board
of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1956 state flag.
3. THE GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED!!!
C. Brown vs. Board of Education
In 1956, to demonstrate it’s disagreement with the decision,
GA changed its state flag to include the Confederate battle
flag.
Before 1956
After 1956
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
By the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement was well
underway and was gaining momentum (SS8H11b):
1. The founding of the SNCC:
•  Several students adopted King’s strategy of
non-violent protest and formed the Student
Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
•  One of the leaders of SNCC was Georgia
native and Morehouse College graduate,
Julian Bond. Bond was later elected to the
U.S. Senate for Georgia.
•  SNCC used sit-ins at lunch counters and
later expanded to promote voter registration
in the South.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
2. The Sibley Commission:
•  After schools were ordered desegregated in
1954 by the Brown decision, Georgia refused
to cooperate and threatened to stop funding
any schools that integrated.
•  In 1960, Georgia’s government formed a
commission to ask Georgians how they felt
about the matter. The commission was led
by influential Atlanta banker John Sibley.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
2. The Sibley Commission:
According to the Commission’s findings...
…GA had mixed feelings. Therefore, Sibley recommended:
a) Each school district should be able to decide for itself their
own policy on integration
b) State laws punishing integrated schools should be repealed
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
3. The Integration of the University of Georgia:
•  By order of the U.S. District Court in Athens, GA, the
University of Georgia was ordered to be integrated.
•  Despite angry protests and threats, Charlayne Hunter
and Hamilton Holmes became the first two AfricanAmericans to enroll at UGA.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
4. The Albany Movement:
•  From fall 1961 to summer 1962, a desegregation movement
took place in Albany, GA, involving the NAACP and SNCC.
•  Goal – Bring national attention to the Civil Rights movement
by ending all types of segregation in Albany (buses, trains,
libraries, hospitals, juries, etc. ).
•  In order to draw American attention to Albany, the NAACP
and SNCC recruited…
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
4. The Albany Movement:
… Martin Luther King, Jr.!!!
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
4. The Albany Movement:
•  Despite King’s assistance, the Albany movement FAILED…
a) By December 1961, 500 protesters were arrested.
b) Albany’s police chief used peaceful tactics to
avoid negative publicity.
c) The NAACP and the SNCC were often at
odds with one another.
d) The Albany movement did not concentrate on a
single kind of segregation – IT TRIED TO DO
TOO MUCH.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
5. The March on Washington:
•  In August 1963, more than 250,000 people converged on
Washington, D.C. to demand equal rights for blacks.
•  Here, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a
Dream” speech ...
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
6. The Civil Rights Act of 1964:
•  The March on Washington led the Senate to consider passing
the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination in all public
places and making it illegal to discriminate in employment on
the basis of race or sex.
•  Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell opposed the bill and
organized a 75-day filibuster with 18 other Southern Democratic
Senators. Finally, in June 1964, the Senate passed the bill by a
vote of 73-27.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
6. The Civil Rights Act of 1964:
•  The Civil Rights Act was signed into law by
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, widely considered
the Civil Rights President.
•  Johnson considered this his greatest achievement as
United States President.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
7. The Election of Governor Lester Maddox:
•  Lester Maddox
became a GA
celebrity in 1964 when
he chose to close his
Atlanta restaurant
rather than comply
with the Civil Rights
Act.
•  In 1966, Maddox ran
for Governor and was
elected.
•  He surprised many
by hiring more blacks
for government jobs
than any previous
Governor of GA.
•  As Governor, he supported prison reform and increased
spending for GA’s universities. He also started “People’s
Day” where, once a month, average citizens could come talk
to the Governor directly at the Governor’s office.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Two (SS8H11b) – The student will analyze the role Georgia and prominent
Georgians played in Civil Rights, including the founding of the SNCC, Sibley
Commission, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter at UGA, Albany Movement, March
on Washington, Civil Rights Act, the election of Maynard Jackson, and Lester Maddox.
8. Mayor Maynard Jackson:
•  By 1973, Atlanta’s population became an AfricanAmerican majority.
•  Maynard Jackson defeated the popular Mayor Sam Massell
(who was popular with blacks as well) to become the first
African-American mayor of a major American city.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Three (SS8H11c) – The student will discuss the impact of Andrew Young on Georgia.
One of GA’s greatest Civil Right’s leaders was
Andrew Young:
•  In the 1950s and 1960s, Young organized voter registration
and desegregation efforts in Albany and other southern cities.
•  He worked closely with MLK, Jr. and the SCLC.
•  In 1972, Young was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives, the first black elected from GA since
Reconstruction.
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Lesson Three (SS8H11c) – The student will discuss the impact of Andrew Young on Georgia.
One of GA’s greatest Civil Right’s leaders was
Andrew Young:
•  In 1977, President Jimmy
Carter appointed Young to be
the U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations.
•  In 1981, he succeeded
Maynard Jackson as mayor of
Atlanta.
•  In 1996, he served as cochairman of the Atlanta
Commission on the Olympic
Games (ACOG).
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
What do you remember about…
…the Modern Civil Rights Movement???
___ 1. Unsuccessful civil rights effort in Georgia.
A. Maynard Jackson
___ 2. President of Morehouse College
B. 1956 State Flag
___ 3. Most important Civil Rights leader; “I have a dream…”
C. Lester Maddox
___ 4. Created to ask Georgians their opinion on desegregation
D. Martin Luther King
___ 5. Declared that school segregation is unconstitutional
E. Hamilton Holmes
___ 6. Georgia’s protest-response to the Civil Rights movement
F. Brown vs. BOE
___ 7. Closed his restaurant rather than serve blacks
G. Albany Movement
___ 8. One of the first two African-American students at UGA
H. Sibley Commission
___ 9. The first black mayor of Atlanta
I. Benjamin Mays
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
Conflict causes changes in societies. In what
ways were the modern Civil Rights Movement
a conflict? What changes resulted from the
movement?
SS8H11 – The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.
Acknowledgements
Hodge, Cathy M. Time Travel Through Georgia. Athens, GA: WesMar Incorporated
DBA/Voyager Publications, 2005.
Marsh, Carol. The Georgia Experience: 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher’s Edition
Student Workbook. Peachtree City, GA: Gallopade International, 2008.