Racial Issues In To Kill A Mockingbird

Race is an issue that plays a major role in today’s society. The past few decades are a proof of this. However, the law and how we perceive the law is something that is ultimately affected by race. We can witness this through personal experience, the media, and past legal cases. What is it about racial issues and the law that make it such a hot topic? In the past few months racism in the law has been an ongoing topic in the media. It started with the Trayvon Martin case, then went on to recent cases such as the Michael Brown case or the Eric Garner case. However, the truth is that racism in the law has been a popular topic for many decades. Before social media and the news were common sources of information, these issues were read about

The novel talked about many controversial topics which landed it on the Banned Books list in many school districts. The novel’s main idea is focused around the trial of Tom Robinson, who was an African American citizen. Racism is a part of everyday life in the town where the novel takes place, Maycomb. Knowing this, it is no surprise that racism finds its way into the legal system. Tom Robinson, a black male, is on trial for the rape of Mayella Ewell, a local white female. Tom Robinson is being defended by Atticus Finch, a man who believes justice should be served regardless of race. Unfortunately, the jury does not have the same mindset as Atticus and finds Tom Robinson guilty of a crime that he could not have possibly committed. This was a crime that Robinson could not have committed because he had a weak arm as a result to an accident he received while working when he was younger. The weak arm is the arm that would have matched up with the bruising on Mayella Ewell’s neck. Tom’s argument is that Mayella came onto him, but he felt guilty and left. Bob Ewell saw the scene through the window and believed it was Tom’s fault. He then forced others to believe that Tom Robinson raped Mayella, a task which was not hard due to the perception of race in the town. At the end of the trial, Tom Robinson is found guilty because the color of his skin rather than facts of the

The grand jury decided not to indict Officer Wilson. This sparked uproar in Ferguson and the rest of the country. Many people began to protest and riot in major cities across the United States. Officer Wilson was almost immediately deemed a racist by citizens across the United States. A man who was simply doing his job is now labeled with such a harsh word. Less than two weeks later, Officer Wilson retired from the Ferguson Police Department. However, this wasn’t before the Black Panthers had a hit taken out on Officer Wilson’s life after the media released his address. Did Officer Wilson make a mistake? He may have, but I am not a police officer and am unable to make decisions on a situation that I have never been in. However, I do believe that he was doing his job. I also believe that if I was in that situation and felt that my life was in danger that I would have done the same thing. Does that make him a racist? Does that make me a racist? No, this decision just makes us human. Unfortunately we live in a society in which police officers are treated as superheroes rather than as humans that can make mistakes. I also believe that if Michael Brown and his friend didn’t rob the convenience store or give Officer Wilson a hard time we wouldn’t be discussing this situation right