Historical Connections: Racism

     The classic novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee contains several historical connections that fit perfectly in context to a small town, in a southern state, during the 1930's or Great Depression. One of these historical connections could be seen through the Bigotry and Racism seen throughout the length of the book. Racism holds huge stock in every part of the book, whether it is seen in the school yard where Scout was often tormented about her father's involvement in the Tom Robinson defense, or if it is seen in the jail with the lynch mob, racism seems to plague the small town of Maycomb. Throughout the Great Depression this was a very evident problem as well. After the Stock Market Crash and people began to lose their jobs and income several groups started to protest with signs stating " No jobs for n****** until every white man has a job." There was even a trial held for the Scottsboro Boys, nine adolescent negro boys who where falsely accused of rape. Eight of the nine boys where sentenced to death in Alabama. These were not uncommon in a society prior to the Civil Rights Act and Movements.

Work Cited

Wormser, Richard. "The Rise and Fall of the Jim Crow Laws." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.