Essay On Jim Crow Laws In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The Great Depression era could be summed up in two words “bread-lines and debt” (McCabe 12). The Great Depression was a time of hardship for everybody. Millions of Americans lost their homes and their jobs (McCabe 12). While reading the book To Kill a Mockingbird we learn about some impacts on the novel like Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the trials.
One impact on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are the Jim Crow laws. These laws were racial laws that separated and changed the rights of blacks because of their color (Pilgrim). The laws made sure that blacks were not equal to whites in any way. The laws were said to be needed because of what people said about blacks. Doctors would say that blacks were inferior to white people (Pilgrim). People decided that they wanted to make sure that the blacks stayed lower in power. If these laws were not followed punishments would be handed out. Punishments were a variety of severity. A person could be put in jail or even lynched if they didn’t follow the laws (Pilgrim). The Jim Crow laws can be found in To Kill a Mockingbird during the part of the trial. When Scout and Jem went to watch the trial the blacks that were sitting down got up and let the kids sit down because of their race (Lee 219). Along with the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality was also replicated in To Kill a Mockingbird. …show more content…

Mob mentality would be classified as “the referral to unique behavioral characteristics that emerge when people are in large groups” (Smith). People decided to join into these mobs because of what they believed in. People want to get others to join in on what they believe in (Smith). Behaviors in the group would differ for everybody. People feel stronger and protected in a group than by themselves. Since people feel that way they will do things that they might have not done normally. Additionally, with the idea of mob mentality the Scottsboro trials also played a role in To Kill a

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