Examples Of Miscegenation Laws In To Kill A Mockingbird

Misc generation Laws: The Theory of Blending Races Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird focuses on the time period of the 1940s. Interracial relationships have impacted society’s view on race today. In the late 1940s, it was a popular belief that if you were one race you could not love the opposite race. When people use the word “interracial” or “mixed” most people refer to African american and white people. However, the first anti miscegenation law was that “sex and marriage between whites and those of swarthy complexion”(David, 28), was deemed unconstitutional. These laws applied to whites and anyone of color. In fact, California and Washington specifically set laws in place that prevented Asians from marrying whites. The implementation

The belief that “access to opportunity is equal between races”(Taeku Lee, par.7) did not apply to any person of color in the 1940s. People of color did not have the same opportunity to obtain jobs as whites did. Harper Lee obviously makes this apparent in the novel. Tom Robinsons wife is a very good example. When Tom Robinson is accused of rape, their community takes it upon themselves to help his wife. They do this because given the fact that his wife is African American she will not be able to find a well paying job that will bring in enough money to support her family. Even if she were to find one she would get little to no money because she is an African American female. Today the government still struggles to fix racial inequalities. People of color “no longer face significant discrimination”(Taeku Lee, Par 8) however, there are still injustices and hardships that they

There were numerous laws that prohibited “blending”(David, 8). During this time 24 states across the country had laws set up that prohibited the marriage of different races. “Richard and Mildred Loving”(PBS,1), for example, were thrown into jail for illegally marrying each other. Richard was white and Mildred was of color; the couple moved to Washington. In 1963 they went to The American Civil Liberties Union to fight their case. At the end the supreme court ruled that the laws that prohibited interracial marriages were unconstitutional. This is just one of the many influential couples that changed today’s history. In addition, World War II put these laws into question. The war, “provided increased leverage for civil rights organizations challenging all forms of segregation”(David, 28). There were a number of soldiers who would marry overseas. Most of the time it was someone of another race. So the federal government passed the GI Finances Act and War Brides Act. Couples had to take harsh background checks and it forbade marriages between whites and “bar women”. All of this is directly linked to To Kill A Mockingbird. In the novel, Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy white man who is married to a black woman. He is considered to be an outcast because of this. Likewise, because his kids are mixed they are considered to be outcasts too. The Raymonds do not live in white neighborhoods. No one really accepts them; they are outcasts