To Kill A Mockingbird Research Paper

To Kill a Mockingbird: Historical Paper

The Great Depression is often called a “defining moment” in the twentieth-century history of the United States says Gene Smiley. Harper Lee used real-life examples as inspiration when she was writing To Kill a Mockingbird. In this novel, there are multiple connections to the Jim Crow laws and mob mentality. The laws were operated during 1877 through the mid-1960s in the southern and border states. These laws were an official effort for keeping African Americans separate from Whites (“Jim Crow Laws”). For example, in the “ What was Jim Crow?” article, it states that people of color shall not eat with Whites (Pilgrim). Also, in a picture, it shows that White and Blacks cannot drink out of the same water

I find it disgusting and wrong. Mob mentality is is used to refer to unique behavioral characteristics that emerge when people are in large groups” (Smith). A main factor in why it happens is because people want to fit in and fall for peer pressure. They want to be liked and be apart of something (Smith). In the article, Smith states “Another factor in mob mentality is the sense of confusion or even panic that can exist in a large group. An example of this can be seen when people in crowds suddenly begin rushing in one direction” (Smith). These factors show some reasons for why these things happen. Mob mentality didn’t just happen in the south. A memorable lynching actually took place in Indiana. As shown in the picture, I saw people who were smiling and they look like they are proud to be involved in such thing (Beitler). Their reaction to the hanging bodies behind them says a lot. It shows how they feel about what was happening to those people and in that time period (Beitler). In the broadcast, people who were still alive, and were there explained what happened. One lady stated “it’s like a county fair, people from all over the county came just to watch” ("Strange Fruit: Anniversary of a Lynching"). That shows how big of a deal it was. For the reasons above, mob mentality is indeed sickening and disgusting to American history. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there some examples of mob mentality. For example, Lee states on page 167,