To Kill a Mockingbird
The evolution of race relations in our country has progressed largely at the expense of all minorities but especially the African-American population. When the United States of America was founded racial inequality was considered to be the norm. There were definite differences in the lives and customs between “whites or caucasians” and “African-Americans”. This was especially true in the southern states of our country. Although it was evident everywhere it was very blatant in the south. Adults were guilty of prejudices, religious bias and their own personal interpretations of “right” and “wrong”. Caucasian people were given privileges and opportunities that were never even considered for people of color.
Many glaring examples of racial injustice are featured in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The story although told through a child’s point of view actually has many adult perspectives. In the book, races were governed by very different rules that were established by society itself. This idea was consistent with life during this time period. Prejudice appears throughout the content of this book. Tom Robinson, a black male, was accused of raping and beating Mayella Ewell, a white female. Tom Robinson was wrongfully accused and considered guilty simply because of his race. In this period of history races were separated by their speech, their superstitions and their ancestors. The narrator, Scout, believes that all people should be held to the same standards. Scout believed that it was not right to accuse a man just by his color of skin. Black people were not judged by their accomplishments but on their relationships with white people. Blacks were not allowed to read or write which put them to an extreme disadvantage compared to whites. One example from the book is “Mr Radley shot at a negro in his collard patch.” There was no evidence that it was a black person. The statement was an assumption based on perception. Blacks were treated no better than animals. Tom Robinson felt sorry for Mayella which completely overstepped the boundaries that society had at the time. People could not figure out why Tom felt sorry for Mayella. In fact it angered many people. How dare he feel sorry for her? It was not permissible in the culture at this time for Tom to be compassionate to a white women. Class was a separator as well as race in this time period. In chapter 18, the quote “well, Dill, after all, he’s just a Negro” is an example of prejudice. The ironic part in …show more content…
In the 1930s two white men and two white women boarded a train in Alabama. There were thirteen black males that boarded the same train. The black men and the white men had a dispute which then turned into a fight. The thirteen black men one of which was said to have a pistol, threw the white men off the train. The white women, of which one of them was a known prostitute, claimed that they were then raped by the black men. When the train was stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama, the townspeople and local law enforcement took the black males into custody. They were charged for throwing the white men off the train and the supposed rape of the two white women. The trials lasted from 1931-1937. The black males did say that they threw the white men off the train but they denied rape charges. Throughout the trials some were proven guilty and some were proven innocent. Even the ones that were proven guilty were eventually let out of prison because evidence kept changing and new stories told. The community however could not let it go. They always found new reasons to bring the Scottsboro boys back into the courts and into prison. Even after one of the women stated in a letter that they were never raped by the Scottsboro boys, much of the community just went off a white woman 's statement of lies and the fact that the Scottsboro boys were black. Even after all the trials were over the boys always seemed to be back in prison or slandered by the community and media. The last surviving Scottsboro boy died at the age of
The evolution of race relations in our country has progressed largely at the expense of all minorities but especially the African-American population. When the United States of America was founded racial inequality was considered to be the norm. There were definite differences in the lives and customs between “whites or caucasians” and “African-Americans”. This was especially true in the southern states of our country. Although it was evident everywhere it was very blatant in the south. Adults were guilty of prejudices, religious bias and their own personal interpretations of “right” and “wrong”. Caucasian people were given privileges and opportunities that were never even considered for people of color.
Many glaring examples of racial injustice are featured in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The story although told through a child’s point of view actually has many adult perspectives. In the book, races were governed by very different rules that were established by society itself. This idea was consistent with life during this time period. Prejudice appears throughout the content of this book. Tom Robinson, a black male, was accused of raping and beating Mayella Ewell, a white female. Tom Robinson was wrongfully accused and considered guilty simply because of his race. In this period of history races were separated by their speech, their superstitions and their ancestors. The narrator, Scout, believes that all people should be held to the same standards. Scout believed that it was not right to accuse a man just by his color of skin. Black people were not judged by their accomplishments but on their relationships with white people. Blacks were not allowed to read or write which put them to an extreme disadvantage compared to whites. One example from the book is “Mr Radley shot at a negro in his collard patch.” There was no evidence that it was a black person. The statement was an assumption based on perception. Blacks were treated no better than animals. Tom Robinson felt sorry for Mayella which completely overstepped the boundaries that society had at the time. People could not figure out why Tom felt sorry for Mayella. In fact it angered many people. How dare he feel sorry for her? It was not permissible in the culture at this time for Tom to be compassionate to a white women. Class was a separator as well as race in this time period. In chapter 18, the quote “well, Dill, after all, he’s just a Negro” is an example of prejudice. The ironic part in …show more content…
In the 1930s two white men and two white women boarded a train in Alabama. There were thirteen black males that boarded the same train. The black men and the white men had a dispute which then turned into a fight. The thirteen black men one of which was said to have a pistol, threw the white men off the train. The white women, of which one of them was a known prostitute, claimed that they were then raped by the black men. When the train was stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama, the townspeople and local law enforcement took the black males into custody. They were charged for throwing the white men off the train and the supposed rape of the two white women. The trials lasted from 1931-1937. The black males did say that they threw the white men off the train but they denied rape charges. Throughout the trials some were proven guilty and some were proven innocent. Even the ones that were proven guilty were eventually let out of prison because evidence kept changing and new stories told. The community however could not let it go. They always found new reasons to bring the Scottsboro boys back into the courts and into prison. Even after one of the women stated in a letter that they were never raped by the Scottsboro boys, much of the community just went off a white woman 's statement of lies and the fact that the Scottsboro boys were black. Even after all the trials were over the boys always seemed to be back in prison or slandered by the community and media. The last surviving Scottsboro boy died at the age of