The ultimate colonial objection to the Sugar Act was that it was taxation without representation. The colonists were being taxed from Great Britain without someone representing their rights and ideas in Parliament in London. They were also unfairly being taxed to bring more money into the colonial superpower, instead of it being used for the Thirteen Colonies.
In this case, "ground zero" means the starting point for an activity (like the American Civil Rights Movement). Georgia and Alabama were considered the starting points for this movement due to events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott (after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man) and the campaign to end segregation in Albany, Georgia. These events began the domino effect for the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring other protests and demonstrations to occur across the country.
