To Kill a Mockingbird Historical Reference
by Ella Abend
1. Jim Crow Laws & The Civil Rights Movement
1.1. Jim crow laws were a set of laws that defined how races should act
1.2. These laws were mostly in South and Border States but were in effect in all
1.3. Buses All passenger stations in this stage operated by any motor transportation company shall have separate ticket windows for the white and colored races
1.4. Education The schools for white children and the schools for negro children shall be conducted separately.
1.5. BROWN V BOARD OF EDUCATION allowed for desegregated schools in the US
1.6. Burial The officer in charge shall not bury, or allow to be buried, any colored persons upon ground set apart or used for the burial of white persons.
1.7. The US belived in 'seperate but equal' laws
1.8. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR led many peaceful protests and speeches such as 'I Have a Dream'
1.9. The Voting Right Act passed in 1965
2. The Scottsboro Boys
2.1. 9 African American boys were arrested in Alabama
2.2. Created National controversy by showing the bias in US criminal justice system
2.3. The black boys got on a train with the whites and got off at Scottsboro
2.4. The white women that got off after the boys claimed they had harmed them
2.5. They had a weak and inadequate defense that proved to help little, and they lost the trial
2.6. They were all sentenced to death
2.7. The NAACP reacted slowly to the case
2.8. The ILD brought the case to the Supreme Court
3. Current Connections
3.1. Jefferson County, Alabama came very close to segregating it's schools
3.2. Gardendale seceded from Jefferson County
3.3. Gardendale students from other cities would be rezoned
3.4. Many blacks opposed the seceded city by arguing it segregated schools
3.5. Many wanted to go to the nicer school called Gardendale instead of their segregated school
4. Harper Lee (Author of TKAM)
4.1. Born April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama
4.2. Descendant of General Robert E Lee of the Confederate army, thereby also descended from George Washington
4.3. Studied law at the University of Alabama
4.4. Wrote a total of two books
4.4.1. TKAM and Go Set a Watchman (formally the sequel of TKAM but eventually recognized as the draft)
4.5. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for literary contributions
4.6. Died February 19, 2016 in Monroeville, Alabama
5. 1930's & the Great Depression
5.1. Black Tuesday (October 29, 1929 "The Great Crash")
5.2. Unemployment went from 4.1% to 25% of America
5.3. Was caused by extreme credit and bank instability
5.4. Farms experienced massive drops in prices and worse conditions
5.5. FDR AND THE NEW DEAL
5.5.1. New Deal did little to actually help
5.5.2. WWII brought America from the deepression
5.5.3. Gave many jobs and pumped a little bit of money into the economy