After the US Supreme Court's landmark decision in 1954, to declare that state laws establishing racial segregation were unconstitutional there was still public discontent over the ruling, as the state maintained an overall supportive position towards segregation.
In 1960, Georgia Governor Ernest Valdiver, who was still reluctant to comply with the federal ruling, ordered the formation of the Sibley Commission, which would be in charge of "surveying" the residents throughout the state about their sentiments regarding desegregation. The feedback given by the report laid the foundation to the end of resistance against desegregation in Georgia.
