Racism is an issue that was faced a long time ago and is still an issue to this day. African Americans are often treated worse than others, just because of their skin color and culture. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in a small town called Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930s. Scout Finch is a young girl with a brother named Jem and a father named Atticus. As Scout grows up, she starts to notice the discrimination towards African Americans and the problems with the town. Jem and Scout follow their father as he defends an African American man, Tom Robinson, during his trial. Scout and Jem learn to not judge people by appearance and to show kindness and equality to everyone. Dating back to before the 1930s, racism has been a …show more content…
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson to show how African Americans were treated unfairly in the 1930s. Since Atticus is a white man, he receives better treatment than others. Atticus’s children are starting to notice their father's treatment and they think it is very “generous to allow Atticus thirty minutes to himself after supper” because black people are not allowed that extra time (Lee 180). In To Kill a Mockingbird, the people in Maycomb County show racism toward African Americans. African Americans in town are not allowed to work certain jobs that white people can and they are not allowed time alone. Atticus’s innocent kids start to realize how racist the town is. They realize that Atticus receives extra time alone, but the African American workers do not receive the same privilege. Atticus Finch knows that he has no chance of winning his trial, but he begins anyway “and [saw] it through no matter what” which takes courage because everyone in the town is against him (Lee 323). Tom is accused of committing a crime because of his skin