An Analysis Of Historical Influences In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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Historical influences in To Kill a Mockingbird The Great Depression was a time where people had to make the best of what they had (McCabe 13). Many historical events that happened in the 1930’s inspired Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and racism show up many times throughout the book. The first influence on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow Laws are unfair laws to keep Whites superior over Blacks. The Blacks and Whites facilities were separated, and the Whites had better quality facilities. Sometimes, there was no facilities for black people so the white people can have them. Black people also had to show respect to the Whites while Whites do not have to …show more content…

Racism played a part in the Scottsboro trials. The Scottsboro trials was a trial for nine black boys who were accused of rape by two white women. The trial was a one day trial for all nine of the boys. Usually rape trials last many days, but since the jury was an all white jury, the would decide the verdict really fast. Everyone gets a their own trial, and the nine black boys were all convicted in one trial (Anderson). Racism showed up many times throughout the Scottsboro trials. When the two women yelled rape, the people who heard them did not question anything since there were black people being accused of rape. The women knew blaming the black people for rape would prevent themselves from getting arrested for being prostitutes (Anderson). The women’s self-esteem was low from knowing they would get caught. Then they boosted their self-esteem when they used racism to hide their secret (Routledge). There are many examples of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird. “Two women lied about how all nine of the Scottsboro Boys raped them so they do not get in trouble for being prostitutes” (Anderson). Atticus said in his closing argument Mayella threw herself at a black man, and she did not want to face the consequences of her actions, so she changed the story to make the black man take the blame for what she did (Lee 272). Racism showed up many times in To Kill a Mockingbird especially in the Scottsboro

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