Georgia Institute of Technology :: Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

The Legacy of Ivan Allen Jr. Teacher's Guide

News Makers: The Atlanta Connection
[Grades 4-12]

"Mayor Allen no longer sits in Atlanta's city Hall. But few Atlantans will forget what he did while he was there. When the history of urban America in our time is written, Ivan Allen will be singled out for the kind of praise few mayors have earned. Of him, it will be accurately said that he made a very real difference." - John V. Lindsay, Mayor of New York, March 2, 1971.

NM Activity 1: Maps and Mayors
[Grades 4-12]

Objectives:	Students will learn about historical figures in Atlanta's history.
	Students will learn about leaders in Atlanta's government.
	Students will learn how Ivan Allen contributed to the growth of Atlanta.
Supplies:	Students can draw their own map.
	Markers, Highlighters

Aerial photograph of Atlanta showing
Fulton County Stadium.

Topic 1: Ivan Allen's Six-Point Program

Ivan Allen created a 6-point development program for the scity of Atlanta during his term as president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. During his two terms as mayor of Atlanta, he made considerable progress in each of the six areas of the program:

auditorium	stadium	urban renewal
expressways	schools	rapid transit

Describe how Ivan Allen Jr was involved with each of the six areas:

What challenges did Ivan Allen encounter with each area?
What structures, transportation systems, and improvements were made?
How has each structure, transportation system or improvement grown or changed since 1970?
What is the status of each structure, transportation system or improvement now?

Draw a map of Atlanta. Using a different color for each of the six program areas, identify structures, transportation systems, and areas of the city that were changed by Ivan Allen Jr.

Topic 2: The Mayors of Atlanta

Make a timeline of Atlanta listing all the mayors of Atlanta and their terms of office. Have each student or student group choose a mayor to research.

What was the mayor's term of office?
What were his/her major contributions to the city?
Draw a map of Atlanta and highlight/color the structures, transportation systems, and areas of the city that were built or improvement during his/her term
Find photographs of the city during the mayor's term of office.
Compare the photographs with those taken during other mayors' terms of office. How has the city layout and skyline changed?

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This project is supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities We the People initiative. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibit do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.