To kill a mockingbird historical period

‘To kill a mockingbird’ historical period.

During the time of ‘To kill a mocking Bird’ America was currently going through the great depression, a depression in which America’s society consisted of poverty as 16 million Americans were unemployed. The great depressions started around 1929 and ended around late 1930’s- early 1940. A novel that can be related to ‘To kill a mocking bird’ due to Americas crises is ‘Of Mice and Men’., the novel focuses on the great depression and the two men are unemployed and therefore have to search work in order to survive. But in ‘To kill a mocking bird’s case Atticus is a higher class man in which has a very important job as a lawyer. The great depression was cause by the loss of workplaces and jobs destroyed during the time of World War Two.

A case that had been taken to court which happened at the same time as the Tom Robinsons trial occurred was the The Scottboro trial. The story of this trial is that A freight train stopped in Northern Alabama and nine young African American men who had been riding the rails were arrested. Two American white women in which one was underage descended from the freight cars and they accused the black men of raping them on the train. Within one month the first man was found guilty and was sentenced to death.

Similarities between this trial and Tom Robinsons:

The Scottsboro Trials Took place in the 1930s Took place in northern Alabama Began with a charge of rape made by white women against African American men The poor white status of the accusers was a critical issue. A central figure was a heroic judge, a member of the Alabama Bar who overturned a guilty jury verdict against African American men. This judge went against public sentiment in trying to protect the rights of the African American defendants. The first juries failed to include any African Americans, a situation which causeed the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the guilty verdict. The jury ignored evidence, for example, that the women suffered no injuries. Attitudes about Southern women and poor whites complicated the trial.

Tom Robinson's Trial Occurs in the 1930s Takes place in southern Alabama Begins with a charge of rape made by a white woman against an African American man The poor white status of Mayella is a critical issue. A central figure is Atticus, lawyer, legislator and member of the Alabama Bar, who defends an African American man. Atticus arouses anger in the communtiy in trying to defend Tom Robinson. The verdict is rendered by a jury of poor white residents of Old Sarum.   The jury ignores evidence, for example, that Tom has a useless left arm. Attitudes about Southern women and poor whites complicate the trial of Tom Robinson.

These two historical elements have helped me to understand the film more as or one being a lawyer was a very important job in 1930’s due to the great depression so therefore Atticus had to live up to his expectations even more to be able to confirm Tom’s innocence. Due to the case being similar to another trial at the time this helps me to identify how bad the American Racism really was and how that could effect so many lives and a black person never had a chance if he ever got called up on trial which feature white judges and etc.