- Collection:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Title:
- Americus Movement
- Creator:
- Robins, Glenn
- Date of Original:
- 2008-02-29
- Subject:
- Civil rights--Georgia--Americus
African Americans--Civil rights--Georgia--Americus
Protest marches--Georgia--Americus
Boycotts--Georgia--Americus
Civil rights movements--Georgia--Americus
Civil rights demonstrations--Georgia--Americus
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (U.S.)
Congress of Racial Equality
Civil rights workers--Georgia--Americus
African American civil rights workers--Georgia--Americus
Americus (Ga.)--Politics and government--20th century
Americus (Ga.)--Social conditions--20th century
Americus (Ga.)--Race relations--History--20th century
Race relations
Discrimination--Georgia--Americus
Race discrimination--Georgia--Americus
Political activists--Georgia--Americus
African American political activists--Georgia--Americus
African Americans--Politics and government--20th century
Citizenship--Georgia--Americus
Citizenship--United States
Citizenship--Study and teaching--United States
Citizenship--Study and teaching--Georgia--Americus
Voter registration--Georgia--Americus
Voting--Georgia--Americus
Suffrage--Georgia--Americus
African Americans--Suffrage--Georgia--Americus
United States. Voting Rights Act of 1965
Student protesters--Georgia--Americus
Arrest--Georgia--Americus
Imprisonment--Georgia--Americus
Imprisonment--Georgia--Lee County
African Americans--Effect of imprisonment on
Jails--Georgia--Lee County
Jails--Overcrowding--Georgia--Lee County
Prisoners--Georgia--Lee County
African American prisoners--Georgia--Lee County
Women prisoners--Georgia--Lee County
Women prisoners--Abuse of--Georgia--Lee County
African American girls--Georgia--Americus
Girls--Georgia--Americus
Law--Georgia
Capital punishment--Georgia
Intimidation--Georgia--Americus
Intimidation--Georgia--Lee County
School integration--Georgia--Americus
Segregation--Georgia--Americus
Segregation in education--Georgia--Americus
Discrimination in education--Georgia--Americus
Schools--Georgia--Americus
Public schools--Georgia--Americus
Students--Georgia--Americus
African American students--Georgia--Americus
School choice--Georgia--Americus
Harassment in schools--Georgia--Americus
Elections--Georgia--Americus
Law enforcement--Georgia--Americus
Police--Georgia--Americus
Police chiefs--Georgia--Americus
Police-Community relations--Georgia--Americus
Police--Complaints against--Georgia--Americus
Sheriffs--Georgia--Americus
Racism--Georgia--Americus
Justice
Fairness
Social justice--Georgia--Americus
Social problems--Georgia--Americus
Social reformers--Georgia--Americus
African American social reformers--Georgia--Americus
Examinations--Georgia--Americus
Americus Movement (Americus, Ga.)
Americus High School (Americus, Ga.)--Examinations
Americus High School (Americus, Ga.)
African American students--Legal status, laws, etc.--Georgia--Americus
Students--Legal status, laws, etc.--Georgia--Americus
Americus Four (Americus, Ga.)
Sumter County Movement (Americus, Ga.) - People:
- Williams, Hosea, 1926-2000
Lewis, John, 1940-2020
Chambliss, Ross M.
Chappell, Fred D. - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Lee County, 31.77951, -84.14113
United States, Georgia, Sumter County, Americus, 32.07239, -84.23269 - Medium:
- articles
- Type:
- Text
- Description:
- Encyclopedia article about the Americus Movement which provided leadership for civil rights activism in Americus, a small town in Sumter County located some thirty miles north of Albany in the southwestern portion of Georgia. When the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) targeted the area as part of a voter registration and citizenship education plan, the outsiders discovered a committed group of local activists working through an organization called the Sumter County Movement. Three phases marked the movement between 1963 and 1965: 1) Learning phase: In July 1963 fewer than a dozen activists began the first marches, with the number of protesters growing to more than 250 and arrests becoming widespread.2)Attempting to integrate the Americus public schools: Although four African American students entered Americus High School in the fall of 1964 under the Freedom of Choice Plan, all but one female student had withdrawn after four months due to constant harassment.Put in jail during exam week, Americus officials ultimately released her and allowed her to take her exams on the condition that she leave the state for the summer of 1965. 3) Registering African American voters and continuing school integration efforts: Americus officials arrested four black women for voting in the white women's voting line during a 1965 Americus election.In July 1965, Hosea Williams of the SCLC and SNCC, under the direction of John Lewis, joined forces with members of the local movement and filled the streets of Americus with more than 600 estimated marchers. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law in early August, and before the end of the year more than 2,000 African Americans had registered to vote in Sumter County. When schools opened in late August, the number of black students enrolled in previously segregated schools increased from four in 1964 to almost ninety in 1965.
The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata.
GSE identifier: SS8H11 - Metadata URL:
- https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/americus-movement/
- Rights Holder:
- If you wish to use content from the NGE site for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, you must request and receive written permission from the NGE. Such requests may be directed to: Permissions/NGE, University of Georgia Press, 330 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30602.
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: "[article name]," New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved [date]: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org.
- Original Collection:
- Forms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Contributing Institution:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia (Project)
- Rights:
-
