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Oral History Interview with Herman Talmadge, November 8, 1990. Interview A-0347. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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  • Abstract
    Herman Talmadge served as the Democratic governor of Georgia from 1948 to 1955 (in addition to a brief stint in 1947), and went on to represent that state in the United States Senate from 1957 to 1981. In this interview, he shares his opinions on integration and race relations in Georgia. Talmadge, who opposed integration, claims that he did so to avoid tensions. He maintains that had the federal government stayed out of the South, states like Georgia would have integrated slowly but surely and with significantly less strife.
    Excerpts
  • Recalling the power of race over politics
  • Talmadge favored a local, gradual desegregation process
  • Talmadge defends his record on race in education
  • Quixotic efforts by Dixiecrat Party
  • Good race relations in the South
  • Desegregation goes smoothly
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  • Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
  • Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
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  • Changes in Southern Politics Learning Object
  • Subjects
  • Democratic Party (Ga.)
  • Georgia--Politics and government
  • Republican Party (Ga.)
  • Southern States--Race relations
  • School integration--Georgia
  • Segregation--Georgia
  • The Southern Oral History Program transcripts presented here on Documenting the American South undergo an editorial process to remove transcription errors. Texts may differ from the original transcripts held by the Southern Historical Collection.

    Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.