Examples Of Racism In The 1930s

What is racism? Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to categorize it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Racism has changed a lot over the last century.

During the 1930’s depression, there was a great divide between black and white America. There were many communities and groups who had been exposed to the same treatment and persecution as the Negroes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee has used a small town setting, such as that in To Kill a Mockingbird, to illustrate America’s views on white supremacy and the inferiority of the black race. The author has illustrated view that are expressed world-wide through her characters in Maycomb county.

To Kill a Mockingbird is the perfect representation of how life was in the 1930’s. During that time, there was racism, classism, and sexism. In Maycomb County, they call these inequalities, a disease. This disease can not be cured. Since it can not be cured, racism, classism, and sexism are still present today. Even though To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s, the extreme inequalities from that time are still deeply rooted in today’s society.

The 1930’s started off with a huge economic crash which left the U.S. startled and in the Great Depression. The stock market had just crashed on October 24, 1929, also known as the Wall Street Crash. The “Jazz Age” had just ended and new musicians and artists were slowly rising up to their fame. African American’s were being discriminated against in the south. Many African Americans were farmers who had to suffer from the Great Depression as well as the Dust Bowl. As a result of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl many African Americans had to go through the struggles of losing their jobs and having to move north in search for a new life. Many Americans had this problem as well, but the racism that was used against Africans, added to the severeness of the situation. African Americans weren’t able to get jobs, homes, or opportunities as easily as African Americans. Many African Americans were in terrible condition and most of it was because of the way that African Americans were treated. After President Roosevelt was elected a new hope had arisen through the country and Africans Americans were given another chance.

Harper Lee highlighted America’s discrimination, prejudices, and social hierarchal issues and created To Kill a Mockingbird, a semi-biographical novel. Even though the novel is set in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama, it addresses some very real issues that are, unfortunately, still present in modern society. America has made many positive strides since 1930 to ensure equality and freedom for all, making the Dream more attainable for citizens, but we still have more improvements to make before the Dream is available to

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a complex literary work exploring several aspects of the human condition. Lee’s story is one based in the 1930’s, shortly before the Civil Rights Movement. Her novel ventures into the societal issues, such as racism and gender stereotyping, in their fictional town, Maycomb. One recurring theme throughout the narrative is the social adjustment of the citizens of Maycomb and the human race as a whole. Lee showcases the progress in social justice matters by using symbolism and motifs.

"Discrimination is a disease." This is a greatly popular quote straight from the mouth of Robert Staunbach. Many people consider the 1930's to be a terrible time of prejudice, especially to some violent extremes. Between racism, sexism, and social prejudice, discrimination levels were about the highest America has ever seen. This was a difficult time for African Americans in the U.S, and despite the decline of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, racism was as strong as ever, especially in the southern states. During the Great Depression, colossal unemployment and relocation forced a re-evaluation of sexism in employment. With millions of people in unemployment, the gap between the rich and the

When Harper Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird during the 1930’s her novel Harper Lee proves the way racism had a major effect during the 1930’s. Harper Lee’s novel explained how much of an effect on the United States and the African Americans with the downfalls leading to majority of the African Americans deaths all because of them being different race and having to act different.

Imagine having your life on the line because someone thinks you have committed a crime you did not commit. During the 1930s colored people were put down and were inferior to whites. Everyone was trying to find a place in society but it was made especially hard for the African Americans in this time. They were pushed to the bottom of everything and treated like nothing. In Harper Lee's very impactful book To Kill a Mockingbird, she illustrates what it was like for one black man to be pushed aside like he was nothing mainly because he was black. In her book she uses examples from real life examples from those times like: the Jim Crow laws, the effects of racism and the Scottsboro Trials.

Decades ago, in the 1930s, people of color were not treated fairly. Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird took place in the 1930s in the fictional place of Macomb County, Alabama. It was narrated through a young girl named Scout Finch. Throughout the novel, Scout, her older brother, Jem, and their good friend Dill discover realities of society. Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, was appointed to be the attorney of a black man. Because of the time period, the case was almost hopeless, but Atticus fought anyway. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird displays universal themes such as racial intolerance and innocence of youth.

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the major themes that author Harper Lee highlights are the divisions and inequality in society. The story is set in the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama when class, gender, and racial discrimination were highly prevalent. In this time Jim Crow laws were in effect. Jim Crow laws mandated the segregation between black and whites. Consequences of questioning Jim Crow laws were violent and people were rejected from society and their family. The 1930’s is also the time during which the great depression was taking place. Many families were hit hard by the great depression. Maycomb was not a poorer, small, Southern, town. Also in this time, women were not given equal rights and they were expected to fulfill

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee depicts racism in the 1930’s and shows the characters had to overcome challenges because of it. The 1930’s was a difficult time to live in because of racism against African Americans and the depression, where thousands of people lost their jobs. The idea “an extraordinary challenge can sometimes make an ordinary person into a hero” shows that anyone in To Kill a Mockingbird could have been a hero, even in a time of hardships. Scout Finch, Arthur “Boo” Radley, and Atticus Finch overcame challenges in the story in order to become great heroes.

One example, why it wasn't as bad is in the movie Hidden Figures which took place in the 50’s they tour down the black and white only signs. This meant that white and black people would finally get to use the same bathrooms. Blacks would get to go into the same places as the whites can. The problem is, this wasn’t for all places in America it was just NASA, but that is a small step that would lead to a big role in the way America would change its ways. Another example In the story and play Raisin in the Sun the main family was going to move out of their small house and into a big new house. The problem was the neighborhood was dominantly white. The white people didn't like the fact that a black family was going to move in and they tried everything they could to get them out of the neighborhood. They even tried to pay them off so that they wouldn't move in. That showed that whites were still discriminating against blacks and they had to

During the Great Depression, racism was a common practice in the southern states of the US. Negros and those who opposed the intolerance were often discriminated by the rest of the bias and ignorant society, who believed in white supremacy and superiority over the other races. Maycomb, a racist town, exemplify this discrimination, imperiously judging others they view as being dissimilar from themselves. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, the author, weaves a brilliant story of prejudice, discrimination, and racism shown through the novel’s several characters and events, producing a mirror reflection of America’s racist society in the 1930’s.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, discusses many problems in the south around the 1930s. Atticus and his children live in Maycomb Alabama, struggling to get by financially.In the town of Maycomb Alabama, Harper Lee explains and tells the stories connected to harsh racism, segregation, and injustice. The main story in this book expresses an unfair tria for a african american man accused of rape by a white women. He gets taken advantage of my many people in this book because of his race, this is one of many examples that i will discuss in more detail. Racism has been occurring for many many decades, it seems to be way worse in the south and segregation has played a huge role in the act of racism. Most of the southern towns including Maycomb have strict laws and rules to abide by for segregation and racism witch mentally and physically affects the people of different race everywhere. The topic of racism is very important to me and i believe that there needs to be actions to help and come close to fixing it. The main racism point i will cover in this writing is segregation, Tom Robinson, Dolphis Raymond, Calpurnia, Atticus and his kids.