Post WWII Developments GA Studies Georgia after the

Post WWII Developments GA Studies

Georgia after the War • Immediately after WWII, Georgia remained a farming state • The number of people living in rural areas remained approximately the same between 1920 & 1960 (2 million) • By 1990, the number of people living in the country had dropped to only ¼ of the state’s population • Today, Less than 2% of Georgians are involved with farms • Most sell less than $10, 000 in products per year

William B. Hartsfield • Hartsfield served as mayor of Atlanta for longer than any other mayor in Atlanta’s history (6 terms) • During his tenure, Atlanta’s population increased from 100, 000 to 1 million • Hartsfield promoted the idea of ATL as “A City Too Busy To Hate”

William B. Hartsfield • Early in his political career, as a member of Atlanta’s city council, he worked to build Atlanta’s aviation industry (1920’s) • In 1928, he was named Atlanta’s father of aviation by the ATL Chamber of Commerce • In 1936, he was elected mayor and helped ATL recover from the Great Depression by soliciting donations from Coca Cola for the city’s funding

William B. Hartsfield • He was defeated in the election for mayor in 1940, but was re-elected in a special election when Atlanta’s sitting mayor joined the military during WWII • In 1952, ATL tripled its size from 37 to 128 square miles • Hartsfield presided over the construction of highways and parks throughout the city • He died in 1971, and the airport was renamed in his honor

Ivan Allen, Jr. • Ivan Allen, Jr. was elected mayor of ATL after Hartsfield • Many felt he kept the city calm during the Civil Rights Movement • His first act as mayor was to remove signs from City Hall that designated drinking fountains “White Only” • He also ended rules that did not allow black police officers to arrest whites and allowed blacks to serve as firefighters

Ivan Allen, Jr. • Allen worked alongside Civil Rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. • He was the only white politician from the South to speak in favor of Civil Rights • By 1964, he was able to bring desegregation to all public facilities in ATL

Ivan Allen, Jr. • Allen worked to bring the Atlanta Braves to the city by building the Atlanta Stadium for the team and convincing them to relocate from Milwaukee, WI • He helped bring major league football and basketball teams to the city in the late 1960’s

Atlanta Braves • The Braves were the first professional sports team to be located in the South • Relocated in 1966, they won their first division title in 1969 • Although they were one of the worst pro teams in the 1970’s, Hank Aaron set the record for most home runs in 1974

Braves, cont. • In 1976, billionaire Ted Turner bought the Braves and began televising their games on TBS • In 1991, the team hired many new players, and again won the division title • In 1995, the Braves won the World Series—the first Georgia team to accomplish this feat

Atlanta Falcons • In 1965, the Falcons joined the NFL • Rankin M. Smith of the Life Insurance Company of Georgia purchased the team • They played in 1966 for the first time at Atlanta Stadium

Atlanta Falcons • The team struggled until 1977, then reached the playoffs three times • After their brief success, the team played losing seasons until 1997 • The Falcons played in the 1998 Super Bowl where they lost • Today, the Falcons are owned by Home Depot founder Arthur Blank

Atlanta Hawks • The NBA’s Hawks moved to ATL in 1968 from St. Louis after being purchased by GA real estate developer Tom Cousins and former GA governor Carl Sanders • Ted Turner bought the team in 1977 • The team has never won a major championship • They are currently owned by Atlanta Spirit a company that controls Philips Arena where the Hawks play

Atlanta Thrashers • This NHL team was brought to ATL in 1999 when it was purchased by Ted Turner • Today it is owned by Atlanta Spirit and plays at Philips Arena • Although they have only had one winning season, they are active in community service

Ellis Arnall • Served as governor of GA from 1943 to 1947 • During his tenure he worked to reform government and paid off state debt • He worked to bring progressive reform to GA and to restore accreditation to Georgia’s universities • Because of his reforms black voters were allowed to vote in the white-only primaries • Eugene Talmadge defeated Arnall in the next governor’s race