In 1776, as the new United States of America was declared, a new age of democracy dawned over the world. Equality, freedom, and fairness were championed by enlightened men in the United States and throughout the world. Fifty-six proud signatures on the Declaration of Independence sent a message to King George III of England and the rest of the world that his system of oppression and unfair punishments levied on the colonists was intolerable and abusive. Yet millions of people were still oppressed, denied legal rights such as due process, and received unfair punishments for nearly two centuries in the proud new country. The center of these grievous crimes was the lack of enforcement of the United States law. To Kill a Mockingbird uses satire to criticize this very institution of human conduct, the justice system. The trial of Tom
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During the trial of Tom Robinson, it becomes obvious to everyone that he is innocent and that Bob and Mayella Ewell have both committed perjury. Yet, the innocent man, Tom, is punished, solely because of his skin color. The US justice system, which prides itself on the principles of a fair trial for all, due process, and equality, is demonstrated to be suffering from a lack of enforcement in To Kill a Mockingbird. When the Constitution was written, the Founding Fathers made the revolutionary declaration of equality, due process, and fairness for all. The novel, through the trial, reveals an unnerving truth about human behavior: those who boast, particularly of morality and righteousness, often fail to act in alignment with their claims.
Equality is and was supposed to be the founding gospel of the land, and yet, in To Kill a Mockingbird, it was shown to be overlooked. Equality means the state of regarding all cases in the same way (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). In United States law, everyone is “created equal” and guaranteed equal rights, regardless of skin color or gender. One of these equal
During the trial of Tom Robinson, it becomes obvious to everyone that he is innocent and that Bob and Mayella Ewell have both committed perjury. Yet, the innocent man, Tom, is punished, solely because of his skin color. The US justice system, which prides itself on the principles of a fair trial for all, due process, and equality, is demonstrated to be suffering from a lack of enforcement in To Kill a Mockingbird. When the Constitution was written, the Founding Fathers made the revolutionary declaration of equality, due process, and fairness for all. The novel, through the trial, reveals an unnerving truth about human behavior: those who boast, particularly of morality and righteousness, often fail to act in alignment with their claims.
Equality is and was supposed to be the founding gospel of the land, and yet, in To Kill a Mockingbird, it was shown to be overlooked. Equality means the state of regarding all cases in the same way (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). In United States law, everyone is “created equal” and guaranteed equal rights, regardless of skin color or gender. One of these equal