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Jim Crow Laws In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The Jim Crow laws were laws created in the south to support their hatred for blacks. It began in the late 1870s and lasted well into the mid-1960s. The laws made everyday life for blacks challenging considering they segregated everything from schools to water fountains. You would not be allowed to forget these laws exist because most places or things were labeled with a “White Only” or “Colored” sign. The Jim Crow laws were the basis of everything bad done to blacks since it made hate crimes legal. The book To Kill a Mockingbird is an accurate representation of how blacks were treated unfairly in the south in comparison to the whites. In an audio by The Big Read.com about the book, many of the speakers who were raised in the south felt as if …show more content…

In the article “Scottsboro Case” it states that the during the Scottsboro trial, a case about a group of African-American men were allegedly accused of raping a white woman, the defendants were not provided with a lawyer until the first day of the trial. This injustice is mirrored in the novel in chapter 16, page 218 which states “The court appointed Atticus to defend him. Atticus aimed to defend him. That’s what they didn’t like about it.” These two cases show that when it came to black vs. White cases the blacks were usually the accused. The way both justice systems handled the lawyer situation since blacks could not afford to get their own lawyer also shows just how unfair it was for blacks when it came to the law. There are those who may say, the textual evidence shows how strongly the town believed Tom Robinson was guilty not different justice systems for the races. Nevertheless, the town’s hostility towards the Finch family after Atticus decides to defend Tom is dealing with the law because Atticus is only being treated this way for deciding to do his job as a lawyer regardless of skin color. This type of injustice was something that occurred during most trials. An example would be the Scottsboro boys being declared guilty though it was quite obvious they were innocent just like how Tom Robinson was clearly innocent in the novel. In Chapter 9 Page 102 of the novel, it states "My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an' that nigger oughta hang from the water tank." From this, we can imply that Atticus was an enemy because blacks were enemies and he was defending them. Surely, the town was not convinced Tom was guilty, they simply hated him and chose to condemn him because he was

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Due to a lack of morality and fairness, black people are naturally sentenced guilty and must suffer the consequences told by the judge. No normal lawyer wants to be part of a color coded case, since the chances of the black side not winning is often. Atticus finch stepped forward and agreed to defend the black, when he knows that Tom is innocent. This courageous step

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Today, in this time period, there is more equality. During the time period the novel To Kill a Mockingbird took place, there was a lot of racism and prejudice. Atticus had logical reasons as to why Tom Robinson was not guilty. He's showing that no matter what race you are, we all are equal and deserve the same rights. After the trial, and the verdict was said, Jem talks about how unfair the trial was.

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Not everything in life is fair and sometimes there is nothing that can be done about it. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee there is a case in court that mainly involves four characters; Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell and Mayella Ewell. Atticus is defending Tom Robinson who was accused of raping Bob’s daughter, Mayella Ewell. Atticus is known to treat everyone equal and he is very respectful. Tom Robinson is respectful as well but he is also a black man.

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Picture this, you live in an isolated town where everyone knows each other and gossip is passed around in a matter of seconds. You're accused of a crime that you didn’t commit, and it's clear that you didn’t commit it. You are found guilty because you belong to a racial group that is segregated. You stand no chance of winning the case because of a biased or racist jury. Similarly, in Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, she tells a story about a family in Maycomb County, Alabama, where their dad, Atticus, is appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is being accused of rape.

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Atticus knew this and thought in his head “that would be a wrong move” because of the defendants color. But he had to do something about it because it was the right thing to do. In the mind of Atticus and others in the Community, their fiction was that Tom, the black man, shouldn’t be defended against a

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In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Lee Harper, an African American man by the name of Tom Robinson is deemed guilty of raping and abusing a white woman known as Mayella Ewell. Despite the outcome of the trial, the evidence provided in the courtroom suggests otherwise of him being culpable. It can be determined that Atticus’s client was given punishment because of the color of his skin, and his trial was completely unfair. Although Atticus had very strong reasons to avoid being the defender of Tom Robinson he still contributed to the case because it appeared as the right thing to do to in his perspective. In the writer of the essay’s personal opinion, it was very logical of Atticus to take action in justifying the events that Tom

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Justice was something hard to come by in the 1930’s when the courts were biased to only one side of the society. The author approaches this topic through Tom Robinson when he was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Even if Tom was innocent, he’s still a colored person, so he was upholded as guilty and died as he attempted to escape. In chapter 23, Atticus said, "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn't be fair if they tried.

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Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus is simply defending Tom Robinson in court, “I’m simply defending a Negro-his name’s Tom Robinson” (Lee 86). In Atticus' time period, there was not much of a civil rights movement, and it was the default to be racist. Though Atticus is not explicitly racist, he does not do anything to stop the mistreatment of black people, only defending Tom when he is accused of a crime he had not committed. His goal is to influence the court's decision over Tom. Atticus’ help only spans to help one person, while many black people during this time face much prejudice.

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Despite the dangers of having such ideas during a volatile time period, Harper Lee decided to add a character like Atticus Finch and even portrayed characters against this idea with statements such as “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers! Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”(Lee 135) Another tactic for talking about racism without preaching ideals was the trial of Tom Robinson, especially its results, “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson.” (Lee 282) Throughout the trial, the readers learn about Tom Robinson’s

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Racism is a major and prevalent theme that is apparent in To Kill A Mockingbird. From Calpurnia being subsidized to racial prejudice, to Tom Robinson’s court case, there are many examples that pertain to racism and how it subsidizes bias in the judicial court system. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus, a lawyer, is appointed to proving the innocence of Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of the rape of Mayella Ewell. As the court scene proceeds, Atticus provides substantial evidence proving of Tom Robinson’s innocence but fails to succeed in doing so.

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During 1960 when this book was written racism was still a thing if you were black you would be discriminated. Tom Robinson was accused of raping and beating a white women Mayella Ewell. He is put on trial and Atticus has taken action and defend him, but he knew that Tom Robinson would have a slim chance of winning because of the jury. The Jury had racial views against Tom Robinson. “The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s against the Ewells”(Chapter 9).

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701 Words | 3 Pages

Now during this time period, any time a black man was on trial with a white jury, he would immediately lose. The townsfolk advises Atticus to ignore the case and refuse, yet he stood firm. He would represent Tom, because he felt he could convince at least one juror of his innocence. By taking this case, Atticus faced certain wrath and animosity from the town. Not only the community, but by his own family too.

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880 Words | 4 Pages

By listing how “some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity than others” and how “some people are born gifted”(Lee 233), Atticus proves to the jury they are not equal to Tom Robinson. He doesn’t want the jurors to convict Tom based on their fear that black men will gain more power. He alludes to their fear of blacks becoming more powerful to reassure this one case isn’t going to change anything. Atticus reassures the men they are only equal because the law reads in “courts all men are created equal”(Lee 233). By establishing this with the jurors, he explains in their court system a black man is equal to a white man and a poor man is equal to a rich man.

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During the 1930s the south was still raging with racism, and the thought of a black man raping a white woman lead to no further investigation whether it was true or false, he was simply sentenced to death. Atticus Finch, Toms adept lawyer, believed Soulfly in equality and justice for all and was more than happy to defend Tom Robinson with all his heart no matter his race. The Finch family felt very different than the majority of people in Maycomb Alabama. When Tom Robinson has accused the entirety of the town flocked to the courthouse to view the trial. Some with hopes for justice and liberty but most unapologetically hoping for an unfair sentence.

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They put the fact that a person’s skin color before what’s right. Tom Robinson is a man of color and is accused of raping Mayella Ewell a white woman. Since Tom is black he loses the case. Atticus Finch is chosen by the judge to be Tom’s attorney. Atticus is white and is an experienced lawyer.

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