The Major Developments of the Civil Rights Movement (1960-1970)
The struggle for civil rights in Georgia continued throughout the 1960s. At the beginning of the decade, the Sibley Commission recommended that each school district be given the opportunity to determine if it would integrate its schools or not. In 1961, Atlanta became the first system in the state to do so. In the same year, Martin Luther King Jr. attempted to conduct a civil rights campaign in Albany similar to the one he led in Montgomery. He believed this campaign to be unsuccessful but a learning experience.
Throughout the 1960s civil rights activists for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) continued to target Georgia. In 1963, Savannah became one of the most integrated cities in the South, due to the efforts of the NAACP. Soon after, Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allan Jr., Coca-Cola president Robert Woodruff, and other business leaders, worked with civil rights leaders to insure that Atlanta desegregated peacefully. In the 1970s, Governor Jimmy Carter called for an end to discrimination in Georgia, and African-Americans such as Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young were elected to high political office.
Still, Georgia was slow to change its segregationist polices, especially in the rural areas of the state. While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed life for African-Americans in major cities, in rural portions of the state, the struggled continued for many more years.
Throughout the 1960s civil rights activists for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) continued to target Georgia. In 1963, Savannah became one of the most integrated cities in the South, due to the efforts of the NAACP. Soon after, Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allan Jr., Coca-Cola president Robert Woodruff, and other business leaders, worked with civil rights leaders to insure that Atlanta desegregated peacefully. In the 1970s, Governor Jimmy Carter called for an end to discrimination in Georgia, and African-Americans such as Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young were elected to high political office.
Still, Georgia was slow to change its segregationist polices, especially in the rural areas of the state. While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed life for African-Americans in major cities, in rural portions of the state, the struggled continued for many more years.
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
The SNCC (pronounced “snick”) was one of the major civil rights organizations of the 1960s. A national organization formed in North Carolina, it worked with the Southern Leadership Conference and focused on orchestrating peaceful, non-violent protest. The group, made up of high school and college-aged students, became known for sit-ins, freedom rides, and the “freedom summer” in Mississippi.
In Georgia, the group began its focus on the cities of Albany and Atlanta. In Albany, the group was at the forefront of the Albany Movement, which many considered to be unsuccessful. However, the Albany Movement was beneficial in helping the group later organize more successful protests.
In Atlanta, the group organized successful sit-ins in the city in 1960. After moving their focus from Mississippi back to Atlanta in 1964, the group was victorious in helping African-Americans gain several General Assembly seats in the reapportionment election; for example, Julian Bond, who was the SNCC’s communications director.
In Georgia, the group began its focus on the cities of Albany and Atlanta. In Albany, the group was at the forefront of the Albany Movement, which many considered to be unsuccessful. However, the Albany Movement was beneficial in helping the group later organize more successful protests.
In Atlanta, the group organized successful sit-ins in the city in 1960. After moving their focus from Mississippi back to Atlanta in 1964, the group was victorious in helping African-Americans gain several General Assembly seats in the reapportionment election; for example, Julian Bond, who was the SNCC’s communications director.