White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism

345 Pages·2007·3.143 MB·English

by  Kevin M. Kruse

White Flight
POLITICSANDSOCIETYINTWENTIETH-CENTURYAMERICA
SeriesEditors:WilliamChafe,GaryGerstle,LindaGordon,andJulianZelizer
Alistoftitlesinthisseriesappearsatthebackofthebook.
White Flight
ATLANTA AND THE MAKING
OF MODERN CONSERVATISM
Kevin M. Kruse
PRI NCET ON UN IVER SITY PRES S
PRI NCET ON AN D OXF ORD
Copyright©2005byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,3MarketPlace,
Woodstock,OxfordshireOX201SY
AllRightsReserved
Thirdprinting,andfirstpaperbackprinting,2007
PaperbackISBN-13:978-0-691-13386-7
TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedtheclotheditionofthisbookasfollows
Kruse,KevinMichael,1972–
Whiteflight:Atlantaandthemakingofmodernconservatism/KevinM.Kruse.
p.cm.—(Politicsandsocietyintwentieth-centuryAmerica)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN13:978-0-691-09260-7(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN10:0-691-09260-5(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Atlanta(Ga.)—Racerelations.2.AfricanAmericans—Segregation—Georgia—
Atlanta—History—20thcentury.3.Atlanta(Ga.)—Politicsandgovernment—20th
century.4.Conservatism—Georgia—Atlanta—History—20thcentury.
5.Whites—Georgia—Atlanta—Migrations—20thcentury.6.Whites—Georgia—
Atlanta—Politicsandgovernment—20thcentury.7.Government,Resistanceto—
Atlanta—History—20thcentury.I.Title.II.Series.
F294.A89A2332005
305.8'009758231—dc22 2004062468
BritishLibraryCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailable
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinSabon
Printedonacid-freepaper.∞
press.princeton.edu
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
for Lindsay

Contents
ListofIllustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 3
CHAPTERONE
“TheCityTooBusytoHate”:AtlantaandthePoliticsofProgress 19
CHAPTERTWO
FromRadicalismto“Respectability”:Race,Residence,and
SegregationistStrategy 42
CHAPTERTHREE
FromCommunitytoIndividuality:Race,Residence,and
SegregationistIdeology 78
CHAPTERFOUR
TheAbandonmentofPublicSpace:Desegregation,Privatization,
andtheTaxRevolt 105
CHAPTERFIVE
The“SecondBattleofAtlanta”:MassiveResistanceandthe
DividedMiddleClass 131
CHAPTERSIX
TheFightfor“FreedomofAssociation”:SchoolDesegregation
andWhiteWithdrawal 161
CHAPTERSEVEN
CollapseoftheCoalition:Sit-InsandtheBusinessRebellion 180
CHAPTEREIGHT
“TheLawoftheLand”:FederalInterventionandtheCivil
RightsAct 205
CHAPTERNINE
CityLimits:UrbanSeparatismandSuburbanSecession 234
EPILOGUE
TheLegaciesofWhiteFlight 259
viii • Contents
ListofAbbreviations 267
Notes 269
Index 313
List of Illustrations
FIGURES
1.1 CampaignrallyforEugeneTalmadge,1946(courtesyof
KenanResearchCenterattheAtlantaHistoryCenter) 22
1.2 MayorWilliamB.Hartsfield(courtesyofKenanResearch
CenterattheAtlantaHistoryCenter) 26
2.1 Columbiansign,“ZonedasaWhiteCommunity,”1946
(courtesyofKenanResearchCenterattheAtlanta
HistoryCenter) 47
2.2 ColumbianmembersatthetrialofRalphChilders,1946
(courtesyofKenanResearchCenterattheAtlanta
HistoryCenter) 49
4.1 Rev.WilliamHolmesBordersafterhisarrestforchallenging
bussegregation,1957(courtesyoftheAtlantaJournal–
Constitution) 115
5.1 WhiteAtlantansprotestschooldesegregation,1958
(courtesyoftheAtlantaJournal–Constitution) 135
5.2 ThomasJ.WesleyJr.,headoftheMetropolitanAssociation
forSegregatedEducation,1960(courtesyofKenanResearch
CenterattheAtlantaHistoryCenter) 140
5.3 HearingsoftheSibleyCommission,heldbytheGeneral
AssemblyCommitteeonSchools,HenryGradyHighSchool,
Atlanta,1960(courtesyofKenanResearchCenteratthe
AtlantaHistoryCenter) 142
5.4 PoliceofficerstandingguardoutsideMurphyHighSchool,
1961(courtesyofKenanResearchCenterattheAtlanta
HistoryCenter) 153
5.5 RosalynWaltoninsideMurphyHighSchool,1961(courtesy
ofKenanResearchCenterattheAtlantaHistoryCenter) 157
7.1 IvanAllenJr.andLesterMaddox,1961(courtesyofthe
AtlantaJournal–Constitution) 199
8.1 Klansmanpicketinganintegratedrestaurant,1964(courtesy
oftheAtlantaJournal–Constitution) 217
MAPS
1.1OverviewmapofAtlanta 2
1.2 Blackpopulation,Atlantaandvicinity,1940 16