How Did Harper Lee Use Jim Crow Laws In To Kill A Mockingbird

The first influence on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were a set of rules that perpetuated racism and segregation. These rules were sickening and appalling. The Jim Crow laws were made to keep Blacks from interacting with Whites. For example, if a white woman were to fall a black man could not offer her, his hand to help her up because it was considered rape (Pilgrim 2). Many scientists and religious leaders justified these laws. One reason was that scientist thought that black peoples brains were inferior to those of white people. Also, many religious leaders believed that Whites were the chosen people and Blacks were just there to serve them (Pilgrim 2). If you were not following these laws, there were sever consequences. People believed these punishments were necessary to “keep Blacks in their place”. One example is mass lynching. This punishment is when a mob of people would take a black person, accused of breaking a rule, and beat them, torture them, and kill them. The police didn’t just not stop these rampages, often they would participate. The Jim Crow laws can be seen in To Kill a Mockingbird in many ways. One of the laws was that a black person could not say that a white person was lying (Pilgrim). This is shown in the book when Tom is accused of calling Mayella a liar, by Mr. Gilmer (Lee 224).

A chapter on Harper Lee's now-classic To Kill a Mockingbird deiûy analyzes the novel's ideological contradictions, showing that Lee's insistent locaLIsm at once acknowledged the continuing impact of the Scottsboro Narrative and undermined its significance as a register to the injustices of the American legal system. In a trenchant epILogue. (Foley 768)

When Harper Lee was writing about the trial of Tom Robinson in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” she had a very real case to look to for inspiration. The trial of the Scottsboro Boys was a world renowned case in the 1930’s in which nine black youths were accused of raping to white girls in Alabama. Lee’s novel took this case and created the fictional case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a lower class white girl in a small town in Alabama during the Depression-era. The Scottsboro trials were the main source of inspiration for Lee’s novel, and although the circumstances of the novel differed from the real-life scandal, the similarities between the two cases are quite abundant.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the sleepy, southern Maycomb, Alabama. A small town in the grips of 1930’s depression, To Kill a Mockingbird spans a period of three years following young Scout Finch and her family through their experiences with racism and prejudice. Jim Crow laws were a series of ordinances the prevented equal treatment of African-Americans. Beginning with the end of Reconstruction in 1877 and remaining in effect until the Civil rights movement of the 1950s, Jim Crow laws governed where colored people could live, work, eat, enter and exit a building, and use public services. “Jim Crow laws grew from theories of white supremacy and were a reaction to Reconstruction,” explained Andrew Costly of the Constitutional Rights Foundation, “In the depression-racked 1890s, racism appealed to whites who feared losing their jobs to blacks.” Ensuring that freed slaves remained weak and inferior, Jim Crow laws revoked black freedom’s and crippled their rights. And while not explicitly stated, evidence of Jim Crow Laws appears methodically throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Strongly influenced by elements of racism, the story paints a vivid picture of life in the era of Jim Crow, for both colored and white.

the real case of Emmett Till, in which an innocent man was persecuted simply because the color of skin was not favored with the all white jury. A case very similar to this can be seen within To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel used to bring up the topic of racism. Harper Lee uses her book To Kill a Mockingbird to bring awareness to racism by demonstrating how it can bring despair to a community. Although, people who fight against racism can bring hope to those who have been effected.

When reading books, readers will occasionally find that some books will have historical influences in them. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are three different historical influences. Lee used real life historical events in her book To Kill A Mockingbird to help make her story more Inspirational. The three different historical influences that Lee used were mob mentality, Jim Crow laws, and the Scottsboro trial.

In Harper Lee’s novel, the author shares many prejudices and different stereotyping that used to happen in that time period. These different prejudices include racial stereotyping, segregation, and slavery that used to be a reality years ago. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee shows how people were treated, and also explains that Atticus, the lawyer for Tom Robinson, despite being verbally attacked by other members of the community stood up for him even though he knew people would think poorly of him.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel with demonstrations of many unfair things. One example of these unfair things is the demonstration of the Jim Crow Laws in action. The Jim Crow Laws were the laws that allowed segregation between whites and blacks. These laws could deny blacks education, jobs, and transportation. They completely violated the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments. White people tried to defend this by saying that blacks were more likely to commit crimes

To Kill a Mockingbird is a historical fiction novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is set in Alabama during the time of segregation. This novel conveys many themes such as hypocrisy, discrimination, and prejudice. Religious hypocrisy and lack of empathy is also found in this novel and contributes to those three themes. Religious hypocrisy is stating that you are a follower of that religion, however your actions directly contradict that. Empathy is when, as Atticus stated it, “you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 3).

In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee shows many subjects that took place during this difficult time. The Jim Crow Laws, Mob Mentality and the Scottsboro trials influenced her to write the book and inform the readers of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Why did a poor black man lose a court case because he’s black? Why are girls told they have to sit and be pretty? Why does it matter if you are wealthy or poor? We are all people, aren’t we? The answer is prejudice. Harper Lee gives many examples, race, class, and gender, in her fascinating book To Kill a Mockingbird. In the town of Maycomb a white man takes a case about a black man (Tom) raping a white girl, but at court, everyone knows Tom shouldn’t be found guilty. But tom is found guilty. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during the Great Depression. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudice is shown as a good and bad thing. Prejudice is shown through race, class, and gender.

Atticus Finch once said, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee, 39) In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee used factual events as an inspiration for her novel. There are links to the Jim Crow laws, Mob Mentality, and racism.

“Most people seem to think they’re right and you’re wrong,” (105). Set in the 30’s and written in the 60’s, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird influenced America in ways that changed our history forever. Lee created a universe of living characters in an attempt to show our flaws and try to end racism. Though there are many themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, three of the most prominent are discrimination, justice, and fear.

Racism, classism, and ageism have been around since humans realized there are people of different skin color; Since wealth had begun to carve your importance; Since age held back your physical capabilities. To Kill a Mockingbird was based on the Scottsboro Boys Case and even the childhood of the author Harper Lee. The unfairness and racism of the trial influenced Lee to write a book based upon the Scottsboro Boys. To Kill a Mockingbird was considered “a simple love story” by the author Harper Lee herself, but contains real world problems such as racism, classism, ageism, stereotyping and many others.

Throughout Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, many political and social issues occur. One major political issue in this book is unequal justice in the judicial system, or racial discrimination. Socially, poverty, child abuse, and gender discrimination are all issues present throughout the book. Although some of these occurrences may be minor, they all significantly impact the outcome of the book.