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How Did The Great Depression Affect To Kill A Mockingbird

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Harper Lee wrote that Maycomb was a “tired old town...there was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see...” To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that is placed around the late 20’s or early 30’s, and it focuses on a small town called Maycomb that is in the grips of a national crisis known as the Great Depression and a restrictive set of segregation laws called the Jim Crow Laws. The Great Depression started affecting the country in 1929 and left America in a state of bankruptcy and debt. The Great Depression's impact was felt everywhere. People who seemed unassailable were torn down and left penniless. In addition to this, the Jim Crow laws were terrible laws that forced a wide division between white and colored people. The Great Depression had been coming for awhile. Many events took place to lead up to it. It really started with the introduction of the credit system. It allowed people to buy things immediately and pay it back later. Though the idea was entertaining, the reality was that people ended up not being able to pay for the things they bought. This led to the accumulation of debts. The Stock Market was another reason. Also, people would invest lots money in stocks and shares. …show more content…

Although imaginary, the culture and ways of Maycomb encompassed and mirrored all the towns and counties in the South. The town is described as “tired,” and due to the time period created by the Great Depression. There was “nothing to buy and no money to buy it with.” This line describes how people suffered from the loss of financial security, which was caused by the overuse of credit. America was barely holding on to what it could. Along with the Jim Crow laws dividing the country into a racial dispute, it seemed as if there would be no end to this tragedy. These events affected the country to an alarming degree, but, ultimately, it left them better than

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