Post-WWII in GA

Post-WWII Developments in GA

​SS8H10

• I can explain how technology transformed agriculture and created a population shift within Georgia.

• I can explain how the development of Atlanta under mayors William B.Hartsfield and Ivan Allen Jr. impacted Georgia. 

• I can describe the relationship between the end of the white primary and the 1946 governor’s race.

​Technology Transforms GA Agriculture

• After WWII, Georgia's agriculture was transformed by industrialization

  • farmers were looking for ways to keep up with the economy & be more efficient

• Mechanical farming tools, like the tractor, were invented in the 1800s

  • early tractors were heavy and had limited uses, but manufacturers worked to make improvements

• The improvements made to tractors and other mechanical farming tools in the early 1900s made farming easier and more efficient

  • tractors used after WWII had diesel engines, rubber tires, and were relatively lightweight

  • these improved tractors could be used for most farming tasks and required only one driver, as opposed to a team of farmhands and horses.

​Fewer Farmhands Needed

• Sharecropping had been a way of life for impoverished Georgians for nearly 100 years—ever since the Civil War.

  • However, farm life changed after World War II as new farming equipment and technology were developed.

• With the improvement of mechanical farming tools, farmers no longer needed as many people to plant, raise & harvest crops

  • over time, sharecropping & tenant farming died out as both black and white sharecroppers & tenant farmers were replaced by industrial machines

​Impacts of Industrialization

• End of sharecropping & tenant farming

• Cities Grew

  • Thousands of farm workers left rural areas and headed to cities to look for jobs

    • this caused a huge population shift in GA & other Southern agricultural states

    • many new manufacturing jobs involved the processing & packaging of agricultural products

  • This new man power & the explosion of industry in GA set the stage for tremendous growth in GA cities

• Fewer, but larger, farms

  • Agriculture became concentrated on fewer, larger farms as tractors & other mechanical farming tools made it possible for farmers to farm larger areas of land

  • Many farmers also reduced the number of crops they grew & turned to raising more poultry and livestock

Open Ended

Was industrialization a positive thing or a negative thing for Georgia? Explain your choice!

Categorize

Options (5)

Farming made easier

Sharecropping & tenant farming ended

Cities grew

Technology replaced jobs of farm hands

Larger farms & fewer farmers

Organize these impacts of industrialization in GA into positive or negative impacts

Positive Impact

Negative Impact

Both Positive & Negative

​GA's Population Shift

• The rural and urban divide in Georgia changed after WWII and Atlanta became a major city

  • in 1940, 65% of Georgians lived in rural areas, but by 1976, 60% lived in or near cities

• Between 1940 and 1970, Atlanta fully established itself as the bustling economic hub of Georgia

  • factories and banks expanded along with service industries like finance and insurance

• Atlanta's growth after WWII improved the life for the rest of Georgia too

​Atlanta's Growth

• Atlanta grew by leaps and bounds thanks to the vision of two Atlanta mayors —

  • William B. Hartsfield and Ivan Allen Jr.

• Because of these two mayors, development in Georgia flourished in the post-war years.

• The foresight of Hartsfield and Allen transformed Atlanta into a truly modern city with an incredible transportation system, professional sports teams, and industries that impact the entire nation.

​Mayor Hartsfield's Contribution

• For nearly 100 years, railroads had brought business & industry to GA

• A young city councilman, William Hartsfield, knew there had to be a better and faster way.

  • He promoted air transportation and helped locate Atlanta’s first airport at an abandoned racetrack in 1925, which grew to be one of the country's busiest airports & was named after him in 1971

  • Hartsfield also directed the building of Georgia’s Interstate Highway System

    • By having a better transportation system, goods could move through the state even quicker

  • Thank to improved transportation, Atlanta's population grew tremendously while Hartsfield was mayor from the late 1930s to early 1960s

    • Atlanta became a "transportation hub of the South" & businesses and industries flourished

​Mayor Allen's Contribution

• Businessman Ivan Allen Jr. served as mayor of Atlanta from 1962 to 1970.

• He oversaw the building of Atlanta’s $13 million Memorial Arts cultural center and $9 million civic center.

• Allen also improved transportation throughout Atlanta.

  • His administration developed the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) system, which is a passenger railway to connect locations within the city.

  • This transportation system is used by millions of people every year.

• Allen is most famous for bringing three professional sports franchises to Atlanta: Atlanta Braves baseball (1966), Atlanta Falcons football (1966), and Atlanta Hawks basketball (1968).

  • brought national recognition and state pride to Georgia, along with a significant financial boost

Match

Match the following

• helped locate Atlanta's first airport, promoted development of GA's interstate system, caused Atlanta to become "transportation hub"

• developed MARTA system, brought 3 professional sports teams to Atlanta

• William Hartsfield & Ivan Allen Jr.

William Hartsfield

Ivan Allen Jr.

Names of two mayors that helped GA

• William Hartsfield

• Ivan Allen Jr.

• Names of two mayors that helped GA

​White Primaries in GA

• In 1900, the Democratic Party had established the white primary, a primary election in which only white people could vote.

  • The white primary prevented African American and Black Georgians from having a real say in state politics between 1900 and 1946.

• In 1944, several Black Georgian citizens attempted to vote in the primary election, but they were forcibly removed.

• The following year, several Black voters sued the state, calling the white primaries unconstitutional.

  • In the case, King v. Chapman, a federal court ruled in favor of Black voters, and Georgia’s white primary was declared unconstitutional in 1945.

  • This ruling ensured that Black citizens had a real voice in the state’s voting process.

​Three Governors Controversy

• The next year, the 1946 governor’s race turned into one of the strangest events in Georgia political history

• Now that Black Georgians could vote in the primary election, segregationists would have a harder time holding office

  • to maintain power & prevent Black voters from having a say, pro-segregation politicians collaborated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) to terrorize Black voters

• With the aid of the KKK, former governor & famed segregationist Eugene Talmadge was able to win the 1946 primary

  • In November, he won the general election & was elected to a fourth term but died before he could take office

  • People knew he was sick, so they crossed his name off on the ballot and wrote his son's name, Herman Talmadge

​Three Governors Controversy

• The General Assembly chose between the two people with the largest number of write-in votes, and Herman Talmadge won

• Ellis Arnall, who was a progressive governor and wanted to end segregation across Georgia, refused to accept the General Assembly election results.

  • He decided to resign so that lieutenant governor Melvin Thompson could take over.

  • A legal contest began between Talmadge and Thompson.

• In 1947, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the General Assembly’s action was wrong, and Thompson was legally governor of the state after Arnall’s resignation.

  • However, Thompson’s victory was short-lived because a special election was called in 1948 and Herman Talmadge won.

Drag and Drop

The ending of the ​

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primary led Eugene Talmadge, a segregationist, to collaborate with the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate ​

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voters. Talmadge won the election, but his poor health and death led to a disagreement over who should be ​

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.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

white

black

governor

mayor

Civil Rights leader