Jim Crow Laws MadeEvident in the Jim Crow Laws In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there is terrible discrimination against the Black race; demonstrated in the trial of Tom Robinson. It is clearly evident that the Jim Crow Laws affected many of the Black’s lives. God has put us as human beings on this earth to protect and take care of his creation, which requires us to respect and love one another. He made this evident through the Ten Commandments. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays discrimination against Tom Robinson by the Southern community of Maycomb, Alabama, as a result of the Jim Crow Laws, and in disregard of God’s law.
In the April 21st entry in the diary found to be John Wilkes Booth’s, he writes, “And why; For doing what Brutus was honored for, what made Tell a Hero. And yet I for striking down a greater tyrant than they ever knew am looked upon as a common cutthroat...” (Goodrich 556). His actions would soon lead to acts of violence spread across the entirety of the country and set the tone for the years to follow. Mob violence became commonplace North and South alike where men were beaten for the slightest show of gratitude towards the death of Lincoln. Even at the hands of a policeman a man was clubbed and sentenced to six months in jail for exclaiming, “Old Abe, that son of a bitch, is dead, and he ought to have been killed long ago” (Goodrich 227).
Blacks are the often the first target of neo-nazi’s and white supremacists. Macdonald uses this to justify the murder of Blacks; “If we are going to cave in people’s heads with bricks, they must be people who deserve it” (Macdonald 10). The person who “deserves it” in the book is a Black convenient store owner, who the Organization choses to rob and kill. James Byrd Jr., a 49 year old Black man, was brutally murdered in Texas on June 7, 1998 by 3 white white men who were racially motivated based on the writing of Macdonald. When Netzley was describing the connection of Byrd’s murder and The Turner Diaries, she wrote “...African -American James Byrd Jr. is beaten and dragged to his death behind a pickup truck, one of his assailants, John King, will say ‘We’re starting The Turner Diaries early’’ (Netzley 5).
Lee’s “To kill a mockingbird” is simply about the racial issue during the1930s. It is a portrayal of the racism and oppression black people suffered through and still suffer from in modern times. The story is narrated from Jean Louise Finch also referred as “scout” eyes about the trial of a black man called Tom Robinson accused for raping and beating the white poor Mayella Ewell. Even though Robinson is defended by scouts father Atticus Finch whom is the most respected and professional lawyer in Maycomb, Robinson is still sent to the chair. As a lawyer, Atticus Finch is a role model for the modern justice system.
Kennedy was like “the chickens coming home to roost” ( Daniels, Web ). The following year Malcolm disclaimed the Nation of Islam and formed a black nationalist group, the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Malcolm had some views that all whites are evil and this was one of the main reason that most whites viewed Malcolm X negatively even though he lead African Americans to the production of equal rights. Malcolm X numerous trips across the country but after viewing the Continenets of Africa and Europe he changed his view of white people that all were evil. On February 21, 1965 while in New York City, Malcolm X was assassinated by some men supposedly connected with
Prejudice is Everywhere “There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who’ll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance” (Lee 221). Atticus, the narrator’s father in To Kill a Mockingbird, expresses his disgust in the manner of how white men treat the African-American race. This part of the novel is only one example of the prejudices observed in To Kill a Mockingbird, as the novel highlights the issue throughout. Racism was a major issue a large number of men, women, and even children had to face during the time periods of the novels To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Scout, the protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird, is a young girl living in Maycomb, Alabama.
Of course this guy went to jail along with his friends for committing that crime. This film actually portrayed the racial hatred and was more specific on why white Americans have that stupid mentality about
Racism affected all aspects of the African American life in the United States. The whites used every tool at their disposal in order to limit African American advancement including limiting job opportunities, restricting rights, and using fear as a tool for black segregation. Racism affected the life of African Americans by limiting job opportunities. For example after the first World War, they were treated differently. The whites came back to return to their jobs, then the African Americans that were working had to be laid off and given the dirtiest, hardest, jobs that were open to them.
Ku Klux Klan Imagine living in a society in which friends, family and neighbors are murdered simply because of the color of their skin. What did they do wrong? They existed. This is the life of an African-American living in the southern United States throughout much of America’s history. The formation of the Ku Klux Klan was one of the major contributing factors to the long bloody struggle that was racism in America.
Social Inequality: To Kill a Mockingbird In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how wrong and cruel social inequality can be, from White man’s decision to do the right thing to the accusation of rape because of a man’s color and to having rumors spread around about a man who has not left his home in seven years. This book takes place in the 1930s which is when it was very common in the South to find Black or Negro men treated as less than White men. Social inequality was extremely common because of the racism between the two and the White people feeling that they were better. It was also very common for small towns such as Maycomb to have everyone know each other and each other’s business. That also made it very capable of having social inequality because of people spreading rumors and giving the illusion to everyone including children that you’re something you are not.