Georgia and the American Experience Chapter 12 Baby

Georgia and the American Experience Section 1: The Postwar Period Section 2: Georgia After WWII Section 3: The Civil Rights Movement Section 4: A Period of Protests and Challenges © 2005 Clairmont Press

Section 1: The Postwar Period • ESSENTIAL QUESTION: – How was life in the U. S. different after WWII? – How was life different in Georgia after WWII?

Section 1: The Postwar Period • What words do I need to know? – suburbs – baby boom – Cold War – Korean War

Television Changes America • Television use expanded in the 1950 s • Frozen dinners were invented to heat quickly and eat in front of the TV • More televisions were in homes and people spent more time watching • ABC, CBS, NBC were major networks • Entertainment was important • People could now watch news events almost as they happened

• Transformation of Agriculture – New Synthetic (man made) fabrics become popular • Rayon, Nylon – This reduced the need for cotton – As the demand for cotton decreased, other crops began to be grown » Examples: Peanuts, trees, soybeans • New Farming Technology – Tractors, harvesting machines » Larger amount of crops could be grown

• Agriculture became focused on fewer but larger farms – 1945 – GA had 226, 00 farms most 105 acres – 1969 – GA had 67, 000 farms most 500 acres • Thousands of farmers are displaced and have to find new work – Many move to the cities - Atlanta

The Growth of Atlanta - After WWII, Atlanta became a major city - 1940 – 65% of Georgians live in rural areas - 1976 – 60% live in or near cities - Atlanta was the largest thanks to: - William B. Hartsfield - Ivan Allen, Jr.

William B. Hartsfield • Atlanta Mayor from the 1930 s to the 1960 s • Pioneer of advancements in transportation • 1925 – Purchased a racetrack that became Atlanta’s 1 st airport • 1971 – was named Atlanta Hartsfield International – Busiest Airport in the World!!! • He directed the building of Atlanta’s expressway system

Ivan Allen, Jr. • Mayor after W. Hartsfield – Served from 1962 -1970 • Built Atlanta Civic Center • Brought 3 major sports franchises to Atlanta – Baseball – Braves – Basketball – Hawks – Football - Falcons

Ellis Arnall • “Progressive” leader • Governor from 1943 -1947 • Considered one of the most open-minded and effective governors in Georgia history • Defeated Eugene Talmadge to become governor • Unlike Talmadge (who ruled Georgia like a dictator), Arnall promised a “People’s Administration” – He made some important changes!

Ellis Arnall • Top Priority – Education • Removed the Governor from the University of Georgia’s Board of Trustees • Restored Accreditation to Georgia’s Colleges and Universities • Lowed voting age to 18 • Abolished the Poll Tax • Revised the State’s Constitution • Paid off the State Debt!! • Champion of Prison Reform – Ended many practices such as the Chain Gangs

Atlanta – Center for Transportation in the Southeast • 4 Major Systems 1. Aviation – Hartsfield – Jackson International Airport 2. The Interstate Highway – I-95, I-75, I 85, I-20 all pass through Georgia 3. Deepwater Ports: 1. Savannah, Brunswick, St. Mary’s 1. Domestic and International goods and Heavy Cargo (automobiles, etc. )

Railroads - Dominated Georgia transportation during the 1800’s - Destroyed during the Civil War - Rebuilt during the late 1800 s - Businesses relied less and less on rail - The four Transportation systems interact to get goods to market out of Georgia. - 16, 000 jobs are supported for every $1 billion in goods exported 4.

• Businesses continued to move into the state • Air conditioning began to be installed – This made year round work more comfortable • Low taxes were attractive to investors • Lockheed Martin (make aviation related things) became largest employer • CDC – Centers for Disease Control – Atlanta Headquarters Established

The Cold War • Relations between the US and USSR became tense • Cold War: a war of words and diplomacy • US and USSR were world’s most powerful countries • USSR kept eastern Europe in communism behind the “iron curtain” • Containment of communism led to war in Korea and Vietnam

The Korean War • Korea was divided after WWII • 38 th parallel was line between communist North and democratic South • June 25, 1950: North Korea invaded South Korea • United Nations countries sent troops to assist South Korea • 25, 000 Americans killed; 500 Georgians • Peace declared in July 1953; no winner • Many businesses benefited from doing business with the military bases and armed forces Click to return to Table of Contents.

Section 2: Georgia After WWII • ESSENTIAL QUESTION: – What events affected Georgians after World War II?

Section 2: Georgia After WWII • What words do I need to know? – National School Lunch Act – Georgia Minimum Foundation Program for Education Act – one-person, one-vote concept – reapportionment

An Atlanta Tragedy • • December 7, 1946: Winecoff Hotel fire Hotel was Atlanta’s tallest at 15 floors There were nearly 300 guests; 119 killed 1948: Georgia enacted stricter fire codes for hotels and other businesses

“One Person, One Vote” • The concept that each citizen’s vote should equal every other citizen’s vote • County-unit system was declared unconstitutional in 1962 • This change caused more representatives to come from urban areas • General Assembly had to reapportion (redraw) voting districts to ensure districts of equal population size

1946 Governor’s Race • Governor Ellis Arnall’s term of office was due to end in 1946 • Eugene Talmadge was elected to his 4 th term – Died before taking Oath of Office • 3 Governor’s Controversy – Herman Talmadge – Eugene’s son; chosen as governor by legislature due to the amount of write-in votes he had received and were “found” after the election – Ellis Arnall (current governor at the time) declares Lieutenant Governor Melvin Thompson was the new governor as he was the rightful successor

The Three Governors Episode • January 15, 1947 – Herman Talmadge’s men broke into the governor’s office and changed the locks and readied themselves to run the state – Governor Arnall set up a temporary office at the Capitol information counter; Arnall officially resigned 3 days later – Finally in March 1947, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled Thompson was the governor until a special election could be held in 1948. • At this election, Herman Talmadge was elected governor

Georgia Governors • Melvin Thompson: purchased Jekyll Island to build a state-owned resort; established UGA Veterinary School • Herman Talmadge: Strict Segregationist Minimum Foundation Program for Education Act – established 9 -month school year raised standards for schools • Marvin Griffin: began educational television; oversaw purchase of Stone Mountain for park

Georgia Governors • Carl Sanders: elected in 1962; worked to diffuse racial violence; increased spending on education; used television ads to campaign • Lester Maddox: elected 1967; surprise winner; appointed more African Americans to state office than all other governors combined; integrated the State Patrol; “People’s Days” – any Georgian could visit and talk with the governor Click to return to Table of Contents.

Section 3: The Civil Rights Movement • ESSENTIAL QUESTION – What advances were made in civil rights during the postwar period?

Section 3: The Civil Rights Movement • What words do I need to know? – Brown v. Board of Education – Southern Christian Leadership Conference – Sit-in – Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee – Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Voting Rights Act of 1965

Section 3: The Civil Rights Movement • What people do I need to know? – Martin Luther King, Jr. – Charlayne Hunter & Hamilton Holmes – Ivan Allen – Andrew Young

End of the White Primary • White Primary – Used, after the Civil War, to keep African Americans from voting – 1900 Democratic Primary • Democratic leaders decided that only white Democrats could vote in the primary election – GA was essentially a one-party state – Democrat – As a result, white, Democratic candidates were often elected with little or no African American support – End of the White Primary • King v. Chapman Supreme Court case made the white primary systems in GA unconstitutional (illegal)

Early Civil Rights in GA • Herman Talmadge – Served as governor of GA briefly in 1947 and again from 1948 -1955. Later served in the U. S. Senate. – Segregationist – Worked to keep African American and white citizens separate – As a politician, Talmadge worked to help GA’s farmers and tried to stop Civil Rights. • 1956 State Flag – In 1956, GA’s state flag was changed to prominently display the Confederate Battle Flag; changed in 2001 as citizens found the flag offensive. GA Flag 1920 -1956 GA Flag 1956 -2001 GA Flag 2003 -Present

The Supreme Court and Education • 1948: racial integration ordered in armed forces • 1950: Brown v. Board of Education – case struck down “separate but equal” concept; schools were to be integrated • Sibley Commission: found that most Georgians would rather close schools than integrate • More private schools opened • 1961: Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes first African American students at UGA • 1971: All Georgia public schools integrated

Montgomery Bus Boycott • Dec. 1, 1955: Rosa Parks, African American, refused to give up her bus seat to whites in Montgomery, AL • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the NAACP organized civic leaders and prepared marches • Supreme court ruled segregation on public transportation unconstitutional

A Nonviolent Movement is Born • Benjamin Mays – President of Morehouse College; educator and mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr. of Atlanta and as a Civil Rights advocate. • Martin Luther King, Jr. developed a nonviolent approach to social change • Four-prong approach: – – direct, nonviolent actions legal remedies ballots economic boycotts • SCLC: Southern Christian Leadership Conference – civil rights group led by Dr. King • Sit-in: Dr. King’s strategy to people refuse to leave a public building until their demands are met

The Albany Movement • 1961: Albany, GA becomes center of civil rights activity • SNCC: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee – challenged segregated bus system in Albany • Nearly 500 people jailed • Biracial committee formed to study concerns of African Americans

Protests Move to Alabama • 1963: Martin Luther King, Jr. begins work to integrate all aspects of public life in Birmingham, AL • Over 3000 people arrested • 16 th Street Baptist Church Bombing – KKK sets a bomb which killed 4 black children in their church in Birmingham, Alabama • African Americans and whites from the north and south began to join together to stop the violence

The Civil Rights Act • President Kennedy created new civil rights laws • Kennedy was assassinated before the new laws came into effect • Lyndon Johnson became president and pushed for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 • All public facilities had to be integrated • Discrimination was prohibited in business and labor unions

The Voting Rights Act • 1964: Freedom Summer – Martin Luther King, Jr. and SNCC worked to get African Americans registered to vote • Selma-to-Montgomery, AL march led by Dr. King • Nearly 30, 000 marchers • Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – one million African Americans were registered to vote

A Shift in Mood • Some people moved from the nonviolent strategies to more aggressive ones • SNCC and “Black Panthers” confronted police • Malcolm X preached black separatism • Race riots in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Newark • Lester Maddox became governor of Georgia in 1967. Had forcibly turned black activists who challenged segregation at the restaurant he had owned. Very popular with Georgians who supported segregation. • April 1968: Dr. King assassinated in Memphis, TN while working with striking sanitation workers

Atlanta: A Case Study in Change • Integration in Atlanta was relatively peaceful • Church leaders get much credit for this peaceful change • William Hartsfield: Atlanta mayor who expanded Atlanta’s airport and worked with African American and white leaders; worked to integrate Atlanta’s schools • Ivan Allen: Atlanta mayor ordered removal of “white” and “colored” segregation signs in the City Hall; integrated police and fire services and city government • Troubled times followed but were overcome • The city became known as “the city too busy to hate” Click to return to Table of Contents.

African Americans Take Office • Maynard Jackson: Elected mayor of Atlanta in 1973 (1 st African American mayor of a major southern city). • Andrew Young: An aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Executive director of the SCLC. In 1972, won election to the U. S. House of Representatives (1 st African American from GA to be elected to Congress since the 1860’s).

Section 4: A Period of Protests and Challenges • ESSENTIAL QUESTION – What problems faced Americans during the 1970 s?

Section 4: A Period of Protests and Challenges • What words do I need to know? – Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority – women’s rights movement – affirmative action program – National Organization for Women – National Women’s Political Caucus – Equal Rights Amendment – Title IX – Vietnam War – Watergate

Georgia in the 1970 s • Ted Turner: TBS television network expanded from one station to a national network • MARTA: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority – began rapid rail service in Atlanta • James Earl Carter: 1970 – elected governor of Georgia; 1977 -1980 served as President of the United States – As president, negotiated peace between Israel and Egypt – Problems as president: high energy costs, high interest rates, high inflation, 52 American hostages held in Iran • Georgia cities began to lose population to the suburbs • Cities have worked to attract residents

The Women’s Rights Movement • Women’s Rights Movement: women gained confidence that they could do the same jobs as men and should have the same rights • Women often could not get credit at banks • NOW: National Organization for Women – promoted women’s rights issues • ERA: Equal Rights Amendment – never became part of the Constitution • 1972: Title IX – President Nixon signed law which prohibited discrimination in education (academics or athletics)

Vietnam Divides America • North Vietnam: communist • South Vietnam: democratic • USA began support South Vietnam against the North • 1968: Over 500, 000 Americans involved in Vietnam War • Protests against the war increased • 1973: war ended with no clear victor – Vietnam is now united and communist

Watergate • 1972: Group of men arrested for breaking into the Watergate building in Washington, DC to “bug” Democratic National Committee offices • Evidence supported that President Nixon knew of the burglary and tried to cover it up • Nixon resigned and Vice-President Gerald Ford became president

The Energy Crisis • 1973: US supports Israel in its war with Egypt • Arab nations stop selling oil to the US • Price of gas went up and there were shortages • Georgians began to drive less and purchase fuel-efficient cars • Prudhoe Bay, Alaska: Alaskan Pipeline brought oil to the “lower 48” states Click to return to Table of Contents.

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