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Brown v. Board of Education
This Supreme Court case was a turning point in American history. It was about an African American girl attempting to join a white-only school. It was brought to the attention of the Board of Education and the case was brought all the way up to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decided that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The case also repealed the Plessy v. Ferguson decision and the phrase "separate but equal". The Court told all public schools in America to integrate. -
GA Flag Controversy
In 1955, the GA General Assembly changed the state flag. In the GA State Constitution, it allowed the legislature to change the flag without a vote. In 1956, the state flag created an issue during the Civil Rights Movement. The flag had a Confederate symbol, and some Georgians did not believe that it was a proper symbol of the state flag although many Georgians did. In 1980, the legislature attempted to change the flag. This was a dividing issue in GA. -
Hebrew Benevolent Congregation in ATL bombed
On October 12 of 1958, a bombing occurred at the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation in Atlanta. The group that was involved were Jews at the temple. The congregation was targeted because the group to bomb the church was practicing anti-Semitism. The bombing resulted in no one injured or killed. -
Sibley Commission
Sibley Commission was a committee formed by GA governor Ernest Vandiver to investigate the opinion of the public on school integration. . The options of the committee was to either start following federal mandates and allow integration, or follow GA laws and shut down public schools. But, 60% of Georgians chose that they would follow GA laws and shut down schools. Although the votes were negative, the commission allowed schools to choose whether to integrate or not. -
Albany Movement
The movement was to desegregate Albany, GA. The freedom march was organized by SNCC and the NAACP. Hundreds of protesters including Martin Luther King resisted segregation in Albany. But 500 people were arrested with MLK. Although the movement was considered a failure, organizers learned their lesson and applied it to future protests. -
March on Washington
The March of Washington was a movement for jobs and freedom. The goal of the march to pressure Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act including fair employment, education, and housing. About 200,000 people marched from the Washington Monument to Lincoln Memorial. Also, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech "I have a Dream". The movement was very successful and allowed the Civil Rights Act to pass. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
In 1964, President John F. Kennedy presented the Civil Rights Act to help with civil rights laws. But, Kennedy was assassinated before he could put the act in action. Although Kennedy died, his predecessor and V.P. Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law. The law prohibited segregation in all public places and prohibited discrimination in hiring, firing and promotion. It also gave the federal government the right to cut funds to other states if they opposed the law. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congress decided to create the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Congress passed it and one million African Americans were registered to vote. This prohibited states from imposing any voting qualifications and prohibited states from denying citizens the right to vote based on race.
