Maynard Jackson mayoral administrative records: Series D: Speeches and speaking requests

This series is comprised of approximately 800 speeches, most of which were given by Maynard Jackson during the three terms he served as Mayor of Atlanta. As Mayor, Jackson made speeches before business groups, political groups, church assemblies, colleges, private clubs, and conventioneers. The topics of his speeches centered around Atlanta, its attractions, and its problems, as well as urban issues such as poverty, economic conditions, rezoning, health care, water resources and waste management. Jackson also spoke about national issues such as Watergate, racism, and the economy. Also included in this series are testimonies given by Maynard Jackson before committees of the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and the Atlanta City Council. Prominent in this series are his Inaugural Address in 1974 and his "State of the City Addresses." Materials include rough drafts, note cards, full texts, and partial texts, in addition to correspondence centering on the giving of a speech at a particular time. The speeches are arranged chronologically and listed by title. There are some speeches given by other individuals which are arranged alphabetically by last name. These individuals include some of his staff members, and one speech given by his grandfather, John Wesley Dobbs.

This series also contains a subseries of speaking requests. Materials mostly consist of accepted and declined requests. Additional types of requests found within this subseries are out of town acceptance, out of town regret, in town acceptance, and in town regret. There are also a few pending requests, no responses received, and schedule information. These materials include but are not limited to calendar/schedule, invitations to attend events (correspondence), meeting request/phone messages, general correspondence, writings, and programs. As Mayor, Jackson received many requests to speak from constituents, organizations, and state and local government. He received requests to speak at commencement exercises, church anniversaries, college campuses, arts festivals, and dedication ceremonies, as well as to speak to civic organizations, press conferences, and as keynote speaker. Some of Jackson’s speaking engagements required him to travel outside the country. Of particular note is his trip to Russia as a part of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) delegation to improve cultural and political relations.