Americus in Sumter County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Sumter County in the Civil Rights Movement
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 8, 2021
1. Sumter County in the Civil Rights Movement Marker
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for protesting racial segregation in Albany on December 16, 1961, and held in the Sumter County jail. Kings arrest dovetailed with community and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) efforts to establish the Sumter County Movement. Largely comprised of preteen and teenage students, the movement repeatedly challenged segregation from 1963 to 1965. In 1963, 33 adolescent girls were incarcerated in the Civil War era stockade after their arrest for protesting. The "Stolen Girls" gained national attention after a SNCC photographer revealed the stockades unsanitary conditions. America's garnered further attention when 4 activists were arrested for insurrection under George's 1871 seditious conspiracy law, a capital crime. A federal court ruled the law unconstitutional, establishing that peaceful protests could not be punishable by death. The Movement's success helped in segregation in Southwest Georgia.Erected 2015 by Georgia Historical Society and Sumter County Board of Commissioners. (Marker Number 129-4.)
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Location. 32° 4.306′ N, 84° 14.329′ W. Marker is in Americus, Georgia, in Sumter County. Marker can be reached from South Dudley Street just south of West Lamar Street (Georgia Route 49), on the right when traveling south. Marker is located on the Sumter County Courthouse grounds, near the southeast corner of the courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 West Lamar Street, Americus GA 31709, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sumter County Courthouse Bell (a few steps from this marker); Luther H. Story (a few steps from this marker); Sumter County (within shouting distance of this marker); Washington Elm Tree (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Asia/Pacific (approx. 0.2 miles away); Poverty Housing: A Global Epidemic (approx. 0.2 miles away); Deadly Insects (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome to Latin America/Caribbean (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Americus.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 8, 2021
2. Sumter County in the Civil Rights Movement Marker
Also see . . . The Albany Movement. (from the autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.) On December 16, 1961, the Negro community of Albany made its stride toward freedom. Citizens from every quarter of the community made their moral witness against the system of segregation. They willingly went to jail to create an effective protest. I too was jailed on charges of parading without a permit, disturbing the peace, and obstructing the sidewalk. I shall never forget the experience of seeing women over seventy, teenagers, and middle-aged adults-some with professional degrees in medicine, law, and education, some simple housekeepers and laborers-crowding the cells. (Submitted on May 9, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 8, 2021
3. Sumter County in the Civil Rights Movement Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 141 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 8, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
