Jim Crow Laws In To Kill A Mockingbird

Civil rights sparked controversy from the beginning of the nation to its contemporary state. Issues regarding individuals of different races, genders, and sexual orientations have been debated upon for decades until a temporary decision is made. The issue of civil rights for African Americans began to surface in the late eighteenth century until the Civil Rights Movement initiated in 1954. Although this issue has been controversial for decades, there was little progression in the issue between the years of 1930 and 1960. Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, operates as a social commentary to discuss the lack of progression on racial inequality and civil rights between the time period it was set and the time period it was written.

The Jim Crow laws were passed in 1914 and continued to segregate society throughout the 1960s. This movement for racial segregation deemed the races “separate but equal”. The set of laws supported the concept of white supremacy and created a division in towns, states, and society. Jim Crow laws impacted the lives of children and adults and, because of this, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and workplaces were divided. African Americans were forced to survive through oppressive conditions where they would not be hired due to their skin color and where they were looked down upon as individuals. Jim Crow laws symbolize a paucity of progressivism in the United States. In Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the concept of segregation and discrimination is evident in the actions of the characters and through the action of the all-white jury. Preconceived beliefs of white supremacy and racial inequality are illustrated throughout the novel. The presence of the laws exhibits the lack of progression and change between the two time periods. Harper Lee uses her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, to discuss the nation's refusal to progress forward and accept other groups of people. Her novel, set in the 1930s, creates a comparison between the 1930s political standpoint and the political standpoint of the 1960s. Change has no presence during this

The early 1950s displayed the antipathic atmosphere within African American communities. Individuals continued to protest peacefully and stand up for their rights. In 1951, the “We Charge Genocide campaign” implored the Social, Humanitarian & Cultural council of the United Nations to investigate African American rights in the United States. This peaceful protest acknowledged the persecution and harassment of a race and aided in the conduction of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954. As African Americans began to protest for their rights, the hatred toward them did not diminish. Animosity prevailed while the protests also grew, leading to an era of hate and disorder among the peaceful protests. In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a city bus and thus, violated the city law that advocated black oppression. As a result, Parks was arrested and her imprisonment led to a series or sit-ins and peaceful protests to advocate for civil rights. The arresting of Parks resulted in the first organized mass protest by African Americans. During the 1950s and 1960s, segregation continued to plague the South, resulting in multitudes of people rebelling for their rights. Segregation and discrimination continued to exist while myriads of people peacefully protested for their rights. Their acts of protest led to an increased hatred toward them by everyday people. Young children that sat on