Georgia Capitol Museum

Georgia Capitol Museum For over 130 years, the Georgia State Capitol has inspired people. The Georgia Capitol Museum is a f

The State Capitol looks and sounds very different when lawmakers are out of legislative session. What to bring? We recom...
04/07/2026

The State Capitol looks and sounds very different when lawmakers are out of legislative session.
What to bring? We recommend headphones, sunglasses, a fidget, water, and snacks.
Note that all bags must pass through security. Do not bring prohibited items such as weapons. If you're visiting a lawmaker, have their name and office number written down.
The public entrance is on the south side of the building off Mitchell Street. For more information on accessibility, see GBA's guide link below.
The building's interior echoes; spaces on the first and second floor can be especially loud. Quieter areas of the building include the second floor's west alcove and lawmakers' offices. Outside of legislative session, the whole building is very quiet, as the lawmakers typically do not meet inside the Capitol outside of the first three months of the year.
The building is typically crowded from January to March, when lawmakers are in Atlanta. The building is most crowded Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Exceptions include Crossover Day (middle of session) and Sine Die (last day of session) when the building is crowded all day. After legislative session ends around the beginning of April, the building is quiet and has infrequent visitors.
Meet your lawmaker! You can arrange to meet your lawmaker in their office by calling ahead, even outside of legislative session. During session, you can meet your lawmakers at the ropes on the third floor right outside the House or Senate chamber.
Observe legislative session! On the fourth floor, visitors can enter the public galleries and watch lawmakers at work from the second Monday in January to late March or early April. Visitors in the gallery may not disrupt legislative session with cheers, boos, or loud talking. Doorkeepers will explain the code of conduct for each chamber before you enter.
Explore the museum! The Capitol building displays exhibits with information on Georgia’s minerals, natural history, political history, and civics on the fourth floor. Visitors can join a free guided tour most days at 1:30 pm all year round.

03/21/2026

Learn more about Georgia's Original 33: the first Black lawmakers elected to the Georgia General Assembly. (part 3 of 3)

“Black Legislators during Reconstruction,” Edmund L. Drago, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Reconstruction Conventions,” George Justice, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Reconstruction in Georgia,” William Harris Bragg, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Henry McNeal Turner, 1834-1915,” Stephen Ward Angell, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Tunis Campbell, 1812-1891,” Russell Duncan, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Jefferson Franklin Long, 1836-1901,” Grace Hardwick, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Freedmen’s Bureau,” Edward A. Hatfield, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Georgia Constitution,” LaVerne W. Hill & Melvin B. Hill, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“House Bill 303: The Original 33 Memorial Act,” Reps. Gilliard, Mitchell, Lupton, Jackson, and Willis; https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69977.

03/20/2026

Learn more about Georgia's Original 33: the first Black lawmakers elected to the Georgia General Assembly. (part 2 of 3)

“Black Legislators during Reconstruction,” Edmund L. Drago, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Reconstruction Conventions,” George Justice, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Reconstruction in Georgia,” William Harris Bragg, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Henry McNeal Turner, 1834-1915,” Stephen Ward Angell, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Tunis Campbell, 1812-1891,” Russell Duncan, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Jefferson Franklin Long, 1836-1901,” Grace Hardwick, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Freedmen’s Bureau,” Edward A. Hatfield, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Georgia Constitution,” LaVerne W. Hill & Melvin B. Hill, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“House Bill 303: The Original 33 Memorial Act,” Reps. Gilliard, Mitchell, Lupton, Jackson, and Willis; https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69977.

03/19/2026

Learn more about the Original 33: Black lawmakers elected to the Georgia General Assembly during reconstruction in Georgia. (Part 1 of 3)

Sources:
“Black Legislators during Reconstruction,” Edmund L. Drago, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Reconstruction Conventions,” George Justice, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Reconstruction in Georgia,” William Harris Bragg, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Henry McNeal Turner, 1834-1915,” Stephen Ward Angell, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Tunis Campbell, 1812-1891,” Russell Duncan, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Jefferson Franklin Long, 1836-1901,” Grace Hardwick, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Freedmen’s Bureau,” Edward A. Hatfield, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“Georgia Constitution,” LaVerne W. Hill & Melvin B. Hill, New Georgia Encyclopedia.
“House Bill 303: The Original 33 Memorial Act,” Reps. Gilliard, Mitchell, Lupton, Jackson, and Willis; https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69977.

It's part 2 of our Georgia Day post! Here is a guide to Georgia's Constitutions (1865-1983)Milledgeville, Georgia 1865Af...
02/13/2026

It's part 2 of our Georgia Day post! Here is a guide to Georgia's Constitutions (1865-1983)

Milledgeville, Georgia 1865
After the Civil War ended, Georgia had to create a new state constitution to rejoin the United States. This constitution repealed the Ordinance of Secession, abolished slavery, and repudiated its war debt.
To repudiate debt is when a borrower outright rejects or refuses to honor a debt of obligation; a refusal to pay.

Atlanta, Georgia 1868
During Reconstruction in Georgia, the federal government sanctioned a second constitutional convention. This time 37 Black delegates were present, all moderate and radical Republicans. This constitution upheld suffrage for Black men in Georgia.

Henry McNeal Turner
Henry McNeal Turner was one of the 37 Black delegates at the 1868 constitutional convention. He served as a state representative from Macon. Later, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him postmaster of Macon.

Atlanta, Georgia 1877
After years of federal oversight, this state constitution reasserted Georgia’s power to control its own constitutional convention. This constitution was written by 193 elected members and ratified through a popular vote in December of 1877.

Atlanta, Georgia 1945
After the University of Georgia’s Institute of Public Affairs published “A Proposed Constitution for Georgia,” Governor Ellis Arnall yielded to pressure to update the state’s constitution. He appointed a 23-member commission to write a new constitution. The commission worked for two years and wrote a streamlined document. This constitution created the Lieutenant Governor’s office and established a clear line of succession.

Atlanta, Georgia 1976
George Busbee pushed to reorganize the 1945 document without making significant changes to government operations.

Atlanta, Georgia 1983
The goal of the 1983 state constitution was “brevity, clarity, flexibility.” It prohibited the inclusion of “local” constitutional amendments relating to only a particular county, city, or other local subdivision.

It's Georgia day, so we are sharing a brief guide to Georgia's constitutions (1777-1861)Savannah, GeorgiaGeorgia’s first...
02/12/2026

It's Georgia day, so we are sharing a brief guide to Georgia's constitutions (1777-1861)

Savannah, Georgia
Georgia’s first constitution provided a framework for
how to transition from colony to state. It created a
strong legislative body, instituted separation of powers,
and upheld rights to freedom of religion, press, and trial
by jury. Shortly after the creation of this constitution,
the British took over the city of Savannah. For the
remainder of the Revolutionary War, Savannah changed hands between the British and colonial forces.

Augusta, Georgia
Modeled after the U.S. constitution, Georgia’s second constitution established three co-equal branches of government. It created a bi-cameral legislature that had the power to elect the governor. Governors served two-year terms.

Bi-cameral means “two houses.,” In the Georgia General Assembly there are two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Louisville, Georgia
Georgia’s next state constitution was created in the fallout from the Yazoo land fraud, which involved blatant corruption at multiple levels of government. This constitution placed limitations on the legislature’s power and required a popular vote for future constitutional revisions.

Governor James Jackson
This image depicts James Jackson burning records associated with the Yazoo Land Act, after passing the Yazoo Rescinding Act, in an effort to undo the damage of the Yazoo land fraud scandal of 1795.

Milledgeville, Georgia
This state constitution was created immediately after Georgia seceded from the United States in 1861. It followed the Confederate Constitution closely and incorporated a long bill of rights. It was the first state constitution to recognize due process and the first to be ratified by a popular vote.

NEW TOUR ALERT!Learn more about Georgia's role in the founding of the United States with the Georgia Capitol Museum's ne...
01/14/2026

NEW TOUR ALERT!
Learn more about Georgia's role in the founding of the United States with the Georgia Capitol Museum's new Faces of the Revolution tour!

What do you talk about on this tour?
We use the Georgia Capitol's art collection to explore colonial and revolutionary Georgia, as well as early statehood. We highlight key figures such as Lyman Hall and Archibald Bulloch.

When is this tour available?
This tour is available on most Thursdays at 2:00 pm or upon request when booking a tour. You can view more information on our website (link in bio).

Have more questions?
If you have questions about this tour, feel free to call the museum at (404) 463-4536 or email us ag [email protected].

December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her act of defiance sparked bu...
12/02/2025

December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
Her act of defiance sparked bus boycotts in cities across the United States, including Atlanta, Georgia.
Image: Rosa Parks being fingerprinted after her arrest during the Montgomery boycott, February 1956, Library of Congress.

Seeing the success of Montgomery’s bus boycott, a group of Black ministers created the Love, Law, and Liberation (Triple L) Movement to desegregate Atlanta’s buses.
Image: Atlantans, led by Rev. Borders, boarding a bus for the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom, May 1957, Atlanta Daily World Vol. 29, No. 245, Georgia Historic Newspapers.

January 8, 1957, Rev. William Holmes Borders, a Triple L leader, announced the group’s plan to stage a sit-in on Atlanta’s buses. He also notified Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield.
Image: William B. Hartsfield, former Atlanta mayor, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia.

January 9, 1957, six Triple L ministers boarded a bus in downtown Atlanta and sat in the front section.
Image: A token for the Atlanta Transit Company, which operated Atlanta’s buses, 1950-1972, Wikimedia Commons.

News spread quickly. Governor Marvin Griffin, a staunch segregationist, alerted state troopers and warned Atlantans against “riots, insurrections, and breaches of peace.”
Warrants were issued for the ministers’ arrests. Mayor Hartsfield arranged for their surrender and even offered to send limousines instead of police cars. Rev. Borders refused.
Image: Marvin Griffin, former Georgia governor, 1955-1959, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia.

Two years later, on January 9, 1959, a federal court ruled in the ministers’ favor, citing the precedent set in Browder v. Gayle (1956), which desegregated public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama.
Image: Rev. William Holmes Borders. The Atlanta Inquirer Vol. 3, No. 46, Georgia Historic Newspapers.

Learn More
Civil Rights Digital Library via the Digital Library of Georgia.
“Bus Desegregation in Atlanta,” Edward A. Hatfield, New Georgia Encyclopedia.

11/21/2025

This Native American Heritage Month, we learn the difference between state-recognized tribes and federally recognized tribes.

11/21/2025

Join us for a free arts and crafts activity! Learn about how symbols are used in political portraits, and use that knowledge to design your own portraits with symbols that represent your values and goals!

11/19/2025

Learn more about the Muscogee constitutions of 1867, 1979, and the Treaty of 1866.

Address

Atlanta, GA

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

(404) 463-4536

Website

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