- Collection:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Title:
- Columbians
- Creator:
- Hatfield, Edward A.
- Date of Original:
- 2008-01-25
- Subject:
- Columbians Incorporated
Neo-Nazism--Georgia--Atlanta
Neo-Nazism--Southern States
Neo-Nazis--Georgia--Atlanta
Neo-Nazis--Southern States
Fascism--Georgia--Atlanta
Fascism--Southern States
Fascists--Georgia--Atlanta
Fascists--Southern States
Hate groups--Georgia--Atlanta
Hate groups--Southern States
Political violence--Georgia--Atlanta
Violence--Georgia--Atlanta
Intimidation--Georgia--Atlanta
Harassment--Georgia--Atlanta
Minorities--Abuse of--Georgia--Atlanta
Minorities--Civil rights--Georgia--Atlanta
African Americans--Civil rights--Georgia--Atlanta
Civil rights--Georgia--Atlanta
Race relations
Atlanta (Ga.)--Race relations--History--20th century
Georgia--Race relations--History--20th century
Southern States--Race relations--History--20th century
Race discrimination--Georgia--Atlanta
Discrimination--Georgia--Atlanta
Discrimination in housing--Georgia--Atlanta
Vigilantes--Georgia--Atlanta
Neighborhood--Georgia--Atlanta
Social groups--Georgia--Atlanta
Housing--Georgia--Atlanta
African Americans--Housing--Georgia--Atlanta
African Americans--Crimes against--Georgia--Atlanta
Working class whites--Georgia--Atlanta
White supremacy movements--Georgia--Atlanta
Segregation--Georgia--Atlanta
Segregationists--Georgia--Atlanta
Atlanta journal-constitution
Newspapers
Press--Georgia--Atlanta
Atlanta (Ga.)--Press coverage
Columbians Incorporated--Press coverage
African Americans--Press coverage--Georgia--Atlanta
Press and politics--Georgia--Atlanta
Journalism--Political aspects--Georgia--Atlanta
Nonprofit organizations--Georgia--Atlanta
Nonprofit organizations--Political activity
African Americans--Relocation
Blacks--Relocation
Forced migration
Jews--Relocation
Jews--Civil rights--United States
Jews--Civil rights--Georgia--Atlanta
Jews--Segregation--Georgia--Atlanta
Deportation--United States
United States--Emigration and immigration
Demonstrations--Georgia--Atlanta
Charters--Georgia--Atlanta
Columbians Incorporated--Charters
Arrest--Georgia--Atlanta
Indictments--Georgia--Atlanta
Imprisonment--Georgia--Atlanta
Riots--Georgia--Atlanta
Police power--Georgia--Atlanta
Atlanta (Ga.)--Politics and government--20th century
Southern States--Politics and government--20th century
Georgia--Politics and government--20th century
Judgments, Criminal--Georgia--Atlanta - People:
- Loomis, Homer L., 1914-
Burke, Emory, 1915-
Zimmerlee, John H. - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- articles
- Type:
- Text
- Description:
- Encyclopedia article about the Columbians Incorporated, the nation's first neo-Nazi political organization, which arose in Atlanta during the summer of 1946 when incidents of racial violence and civil unrest were on the rise across the South. The group pursued a campaign of intimidation against the city's minorities, patrolling those neighborhoods most vulnerable to racial transition, and threatening with violence those residents who dared cross the city's "color line." Although they attracted some support from Atlanta's working-class whites, the Columbians were uniformly condemned by the city's press and targeted for arrest by its political establishment. Homer Loomis, a thirty-two-year-old New Yorker, came to Atlanta in 1946 intending to start a white supremacist movement. Loomis met thirty-one-year-old Alabama native Emory Burke, who was already a veteran of numerous white supremacist and fascist groups. Loomis and Burke forged a close personal relationship and, along with a third member, John H. Zimmerlee, of whom little is known, formed the Columbians Incorporated. Describing themselves as a "patriotic and political" group, the three men applied for a charter as a nonprofit organization from the state, which they received in August 1946. The men drew a majority of their support from working-class whites. Burke and Loomis claimed to have enlisted as many as 2,000 members, though other sources indicate the actual number was closer to 200. In order to fulfill their vision of a "progressive white community," the two men advocated a program of repatriation and deportation for America's minorities. Under their plan, blacks would repatriate to South Africa, which they admitted would first need to be purchased from Britain, and Jews would be deported to an unspecified location in the Mediterranean. After two incidents in October 1946 involving violence and demonstrating by members of the group, elected officials, members of the press, and local ministers all condemned the organization as a public menace requiring immediate attention. In November state officials moved to revoke the group's charter. By summer 1947, the group had dissolved, following the conviction of its leaders, Homer Loomis and Emory Burke, on charges of usurping police power and inciting to riot. Although the Columbians' existence may have been brief, their appearance nonetheless dramatized the racial tensions that characterized the postwar South and demonstrated the efficacy of Atlanta's moderate consensus that would later earn the city its reputation as "the City Too Busy to Hate."
The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata. - Metadata URL:
- https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/columbians/
- Rights Holder:
- If you wish to use content from the NGE site for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, you must request and receive written permission from the NGE. Such requests may be directed to: Permissions/NGE, University of Georgia Press, 330 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30602.
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: "[article name]," New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved [date]: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org.
- Original Collection:
- Forms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Holding Institution:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia (Project)
- Rights:
-
