To Kill a Mockingbird Historical and Background Information

To Kill a Mockingbird Historical and Background Information MK 2015

The Dangers of Prejudice n n To Kill a Mockingbird is about the trial of a black man who’s been falsely accused of raping a white woman. Although it’s fictional, it’s based on real attitudes towards black people in 1930 s Alabama and real events like the Scottsboro Trials. The Scottsboro Trials: 1) happened in Alabama, beginning in 1931 – nine black men were accused of raping two white women. 2) Even though there was medical evidence that proved the women hadn’t been raped, the all-white jury sentenced all the men except the youngest to death. They were also nearly lynched before the trial. 3) Some of the men served prison time but after several re-trials almost all of them were freed. MK 2015

Lynching n n Lynch mobs illegally put African Americans to death in the 1860 s and 1870 s The practices were still common in the 1930 s which saw 130 recorded lynchings MK 2015

Harper Lee Believed in Equality Ø Ø Born Nelle Harper Lee on 28 th April 1926 in Monroeville Alabama. She wrote TKAM during the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950 s when people were campaigning for black people to have equal rights to white people. Her father was a lawyer. She studied law at the University of Alabama 1945 -49, but left before finishing to pursue a literary career. MK 2015

Harper Lee Ø Ø Ø The novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. In 1962 a film was made based on the novel which became a huge success and won Academy Awards. The novel has sold an estimated 30 million copies and continues to sell steadily. Despite the success of the novel Lee never published any more books during her lifetime. A sequel that she had never wanted published was published after her death. MK 2015

The Story Really Begins with the Slave Trade n The slave trade brought millions of Africans to work in America. They were brought across in slave ships and suffered terrible conditions both on board and once they’d arrived. MK 2015

The Slave Trade n n Slaves had no rights. They were bought by wealthy white people and forced to work in the fields or mines. Slavery wasn’t abolished until 1865 and by then, the idea that black people were inferior was the norm in many places. MK 2015

Slavery played a big part in the Civil War The American Civil War was between the Northern United States and eleven southern states called the Confederate States of America. n The civil war was violent and bloody – around 620 000 soldiers died. n One of its main causes was over slavery – those in the north wanted to abolish it whereas those in the South wanted to keep it. n Slavery was abolished when the northern States overwhelmed the South. n MK 2015

n Even after the abolition of slavery, attitudes towards black people took a long time to change. A Class Divided -1984 experiment n In Maycomb, black people don’t have the same rights or opportunities that white people have – they aren’t entitled to an education and can only get poorly paid jobs like cotton-picking. MK 2015

The Great Depression n The book is set during the Great Depression, which is about as fun as it sounds. MK 2015

The Great Depression Ø Ø A worldwide economic downturn starting in America with a major stock market crash on 29 th October 1929 which became known as Black Tuesday. Many shares suddenly became worthless and poverty swept the country. The public lost confidence in the economy and spending levels decreased. This resulted in drastically falling production levels and drastically rising unemployment. MK 2015

Civil Rights Movement Ø Ø Ø To Kill a Mockingbird was written in 1960 at the beginning of the black Civil Rights Movement. Although it was almost 100 years since slavery was abolished in America black people were still being treated as second class citizens. Blacks, who had fought for their country during the Second World War, were starting to demand more civil rights, such as their right to vote. The black Civil Rights Movement took on new strength and Alabama was an important centre in this movement. MK 2015

Segregation n The separation of black and white people. MK 2015

Racial Segregation in America MK 2015

Segregation was present in transportation… MK 2015

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In business and trade… MK 2015

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In eating and drinking facilities… MK 2015

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In entertainment and leisure… MK 2015

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In employment and education… MK 2015

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Eventually civil rights protests broke out in the demand for equality… MK 2015

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Alabama in the 1930 s Ø Ø By the early 20 th century, every southern state had passed laws that created two separate societies; one black, the other white. Blacks and whites could not use the same waiting rooms and blacks were barred from many hospitals. MK 2015

Quick recap It certainly wasn’t a cheerful time to write about with the Depression and people being oppressed. Despite this TKAM isn’t a gloomy book. It’s often funny, moving and uplifting. This is another reason why it’s a popular novel. n n n a) b) n n Write down five words to describe the slave trade. What was one of the main causes of the American Civil War? Who were to original Ku Klux Klan? A group of soldiers who fought for the Confederate States of America A group of soldiers who fought for the Northern United States What was The Great Depression? What does ‘segregation’ mean? What does ‘lynching’ mean? What was the Civil Rights Movement? MK 2015

Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Themes Prejudice Racism Loneliness Courage Innocence Growing Up Coexistence of Good and Evil Gaining Understanding Importance of Moral Education MK 2015

Chapter One n TASK: Listen to the novel being read and then draw a diagram of the town of Maycomb. MK 2015

Chapter One and Two POINT ONE: The story is narrated by Scout. n The story is told from the perspective of an older Scout Finch looking back on the events of her childhood through the eyes of her younger self. n The first-person narrative allows TKAM to explore themes of innocence and growing up. MK 2015