Friday, June 29, Atlanta

The Georgia State Capitol

On the Grounds

Jake Boll:

The statue representing the struggle and oppression of African Americans. It represented blacks going from slave ships at the bottom to emancipation in the middle up to civil rights on the top.  The three tiers had figures helping on another up the sculpture to the top where they were holding up a figure of the state of Georgia.  Slaves on the bottom were in cramped conditions representing slaves ships, the slaves in the center were performing hard labor and then breaking free, and the blacks on the top were casting ballots in a voting box.

Erica Sween:

 

I was taken aback by the holes in the back of the man who was trying to vote. 

Ann Hewitt:

I was not too surprised to see many monuments dedicated to the Confederacy and practically no mention of the role of African-Americans in the history of Alabama while visiting the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.  This caused me to expect much of the same for our visit to the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.  At first, it seemed as if my low expectations would be met when we first arrived to find a few plaques dedicated to people who had served Georgia during the Civil War as well as some informational plaques that described the Siege of Atlanta, written in an overly extravagant style in 1920.  Imagine my surprise to find the beautiful monument dedicated to the African-American contributions to Georgia on the grounds near the Georgia War Memorial, which surprisingly did not include reference to the Civil War.  This memorial was further displayed on the inside of the capitol museum, and again, noticeably absent was an extravagant display honoring the Civil War on the inside of the capitol.  Georgia is presenting herself to the world as much more tolerant, respectful, and honest about the challenges of the past, which makes going forward significantly easier than Alabama which is still mired in a romanticized past that excludes of a large number of her residents.

Liz Bohl:

 

What I noticed today, as well as with our last capital visit, was the southern tendency to celebrate and romanticize the Civil War.  Many of the markers and statues had a direct connection to the States War, and they seemed to make their losses sound not so bad.  It would be interesting to me to sit in on a Civil War class that was taught in the South.  It would be a great lesson on how history is subject to much bias – I suspect in some cases people don’t really realize the level of bias.  I would imagine I am guilty of this too.

Heidi James:

I can’t say that I was all that impressed by the capitol and its surroundings.  It seems like the South has its blinders on.

Deb Foster:

 

How far do the shadows of intolerance spread when states are allowed to limit the civil rights of their citizens?

Jeff Woodward:

The taint of segregation and slavery still hung on this capital too.  As we walked the grounds we spent some time contemplating the extremely large statue of Senator Richard Russell.  This man worked very hard to keep the Civil Rights Legislation from passing in the 1960’s and his quotes at the base of his statue stand testament to that.

On the other side of the capital is a huge monument to John B. Gordon one of the most important leaders of the Confederate military during the Civil War.  Inside there was a huge picture of Gen. Robert E. Lee the Confederate Commander of the Army of Virginia and the most well known of all the Confederate leaders. 

This continued hero worship of these people who worked so hard to maintain the status quo in the south by either continuing slavery or later segregation points to a lack of desire to change by the modern southern leadership and should be decried by all people but especially African Americans.

Gary Giese:

 

President Carter a Man of Peace.

Michael Perri:

The statue honoring Jimmy Carter.  My parents used to work with him on the Jimmy carter Work project for Habitat for Humanity.  He didn’t just talk the talk….he got right up there and pounded nails with my parents and the rest of them.  He once ‘stole’ my dads spackle….he had to approach the Secret service and then “confront” Carter…..”Hey, president Carter….you absconded with my spackle!”

Eric Nelson:

 

The South has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go.

Gregg Jochimsen:

The Georgia State flag. In 1956 the state of Georgia adopted a flag that prominently featured the Confederate emblem.  After years of controversy, a new flag was adopted in 2001.  On May 8, 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue signed a bill creating a new state flag.  It's amazing that the newest flag is actually what the legislators of Georgia call a compromise.  The newest flag of Georgia is (believe it or not) based on the first national flag of the Confederacy the "stars and bars".  Hard to believe that in 2012 there was an issue over a flag design and that a compromise would involve going back to a design based on a Confederate flag!

The Capitol Building

Michael Downie:

The striking part of touring the capital building was that at one point everything had been burned to the ground by Sherman in the Civil War.  There was evidence of a lot of pride in the fallen heroes of Atlanta.  Monuments and plaques were filled with accounts of the loss of life and the fight to end of the southern soldiers and generals.  From the North we see the war as a fight to keep the Union together and ending slavery, the South sees it as an aggression and violation of states rights.  There was even a deep sense of pride in how the capital was rebuilt.  There is a sense of nobility or honesty in the telling of how the price was so low and so well budgeted.  There was a pride in the budget having no corruption and the capital being built so well for such a low price.  One gets the sense that the builders had a mission to show the country they are good people who work for an honest dollar and have no reason to have deserved destruction by an aggressive northern attack.  It is a striking reminder that people everywhere are deeply committed to there own dignity.

Wesley Grambo:

It is great to see a capitol building that is also a functioning seat of government, unlike Alabama’s.  I was disappointed that the Alabama capitol building is more of a museum.  It seemed to be wasteful to have so much unused space.  Anyway, to me, a state capitol should be a symbolic and actual seat of power.

Inside the Capitol

Jeffrey Hauser:

I couldn’t help notice the contrast between the Georgia capitol and the Alabama capitol. Maybe because we were on a self-guided tour in Atlanta and the people inside were so friendly and accommodating, things seemed less threatening.  A secretary led us right into the governor’s office and gave us a great tour, complete with a story about the championship wrestling belt on display in that office.

Matt Prissel:

 

Having a governor and state government “for the people” that is accessible by the people is an impressive thing.

Andrea Podpeskar:

Would Governor Walker let a group of teachers in his office?

Laura Hartman:

To me, capitals are capitals, no matter what state I am in.  The buildings seem to have such a disconnect from the people.  They are functioning buildings yet so museum-like at the same time it is often hard for me to see the staff able to understand the people they serve outside the walls.

Cynthia Walrath:

 

This plaque. I was always told that education was the key to having a successful future!  As I read this, I kept thinking about the newly freed slaves and how they must have felt—not being able to read or write and being at the mercy of other people.  I also thought about the important role that the churches (and other religious organizations) played in supporting and changing the lives of many people of different races throughout history.  Many religious people and members of religious organizations have helped to educate people and help support their causes.  The priests and ministers that became involved in the Civil Rights Movement and offered their churches as places to organize and hold meetings came to mind while reading this.

Tina Krummel:

A case on the 3rd floor dealt with the voting rights and civil rights issues. This was different than the Alabama capital, which was almost defiant of the face of civil rights.

Ryan Prod:

 

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of the creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 Dream Speech

Margaret Perri:

I noticed one display in particular that showed a list of people “Who Have Lain in State at the State Capitol”:  Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America; former governors, military personnel, Samuel P. Jones, Evangelist; Speaker of the House; House of Representatives; Richard B. Russell Sr., Chief Justice, Supreme Court; senators; but most interestingly to me, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Civil and Human Rights Activist.

Portraits

Chris Kelly:

I enjoyed the portraits of the Governors and the several portraits/statues of Oglethorpe.  I was especially impressed when Dr. Oberly pointed out the painting of Lester Maddox.  It is right next to Jimmy Carter’s painting so it is one that I am sure people will see.  Dr. Oberly pointed out that on the desk behind Gov. Maddox there is the tail end of a fish jutting out from an edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Amy Lund:

On the third floor of the Georgia Capital Building, I found this portrait.  It is of Leroy Johnson.  I’d never heard of him – but his was the first portrait of an African-American that I’d found.  And the plaque under his photo really gave me some food for thought.  Johnson was the first African-American elected to the Georgia Senate since Reconstruction.  I googled him, and learned that his was the first portrait of an elected black official to hang in the Senate Chamber and also the first living person (other than the governor or lieutenant governor) to have their portrait hung in the capital.  Which is cool, but not really my point. 

The quote says, “In politics, you get not what you deserve, but what you can negotiate.”  Now, this could be a totally innocuous quote about the art of negotiation and Johnson’s skills.  But I have to wonder if it doesn’t mean something more.

Ruth Lovejoy:

At the end of my tour of the Georgia Capitol, I saw a poster of a timeline of the Civil Rights Movement. The poster was next to a painting of Martin Luther King. However, with the many paintings of historical figures on the walls, I only saw one other African-American. Better than Alabama, but not good enough.

Atlanta Itself

Sarah Pickering:

The demographics of the city can change so quickly. For example, our hotel was located in Underground, a very touristy spot, yet I wouldn’t have gone for a jog the night when we got in, as it was very evident by the security measures, and the fact that some not-so-wholesome activities take place nearby...

Tate Haglund-Pagel:

At the end of our trip I’m struck by what we heard several times and what is obvious on the streets of Atlanta — that oppression today is economic.  Racism has been written out of our laws, and targeted bigotry is now punishable under other laws.  But several speakers mentioned that the problems of African Americans today are based on the poverty they disproportionally face.   The historic reverberations of slavery still impact the descendants of slaves.  While the Civil Rights Movement led to many important gains there are problems it did not fix.  The relevance of studying the Movement is it gives us ideas and inspiration to fix our current problems.  It is also important to recognize the “old” problems are still with us.  A group or protestors on the front steps of the Georgia state capital called attention to the fact that their relatives in prison are being brutalized by authorities.

The Varsity

Matt Prissel:

 

"What’ll ya have….whether you choose a frosted orange, fresh baked pie, or a slaw chili dog, I don’t think you will go wrong."

Michael Perri:

The Varsity: Not sure what the big allure was.  (But the food on the trip was great.)