Historical Background for To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee - PowerPoint Presentation

Historical Background for To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee

“ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Dr. Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Jr's I have a Dream Speech (2:17mins): http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9aJq88Dvpw

“Jim Crow” Laws From the 1880s to the 1960s most states enforced segregation through the “Jim Crow” laws named after a black-faced character in minstrel shows. Through these laws legal punishments could be imposed on people for having contact with members of another race.

Jim Crow Guide A Black male could not offer his hand (to shake hands) with a White male because it implied being socially equal. Obviously, a Black male could not offer his hand or any other part of his body to a White woman, because he risked being accused of rape . Blacks and Whites were not supposed to eat together. If they did eat together, Whites were to be served first, and some sort of partition was to be placed between them. Under no circumstance was a Black male to offer to light the cigarette of a White female -- that gesture implied intimacy. Blacks were not allowed to show public affection toward one another in public, especially kissing, because it offended Whites. Blacks were introduced to Whites, never Whites to Blacks. Whites did not use courtesy titles of respect when referring to Blacks, for example, Mr., Mrs., Miss., Sir, or Ma'am. Instead, Blacks were called by their first names or by “boy” or “girl” (regardless of age). Blacks had to use courtesy titles when referring to Whites, and were not allowed to call them by their first names. If a Black person rode in a car driven by a White person, the Black person sat in the back seat, or the back of a truck. White motorists had the right-of-way at all intersections.

After the Civil War, The Ku Klux Klan was formed as a secret society that promoted white supremacy using violence and terrorism to undo the gains that former slaves had made. However, after the 1920s the KKK was no longer secretive about their work and public violence against Blacks, including lynching, became common occurrences. KKK

After WW1 Even though Blacks had fought bravely for the US in WW1, they returned home from Europe to find the same, if not worse, discrimination and segregation. The economic struggles of the 1930s seemed only to worsen the situation.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) “Will V-Day Be Me-Day Too?” …I am a Negro AmericanOut to defend my land… I’ve seen my buddy lying Where he fell. I’ve watched him dying I promised him that I would try To make our land a land Where his son could be a man – And there’d be no Jim Crow birds Left in our sky … So this is what I want to know: When we see Victory’s glow, Will you still let old Jim Crow hold me back? …will Dixie Lynch me still When I return?…

The Great Depression (1930s) The Depression hit the South especially hard Everyone, seemed to be living in povertyAmericans turned away from the rest of the world and away from each otherDuring these years of turmoil, discontent started to grow in the minds of Whites and Blacks alike.

To kill a Mockingbird It is in this setting that the novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place.In a small town, in the deep South, in the early 1930s      

Harper Lee (1926-) To add to the complexity of the story, Harper Lee wrote it during this time of even greater social turbulence in the United States. In the 1950s the winds of change began to blow and Black Americans were no longer willing to be treated as lesser human beings.

Brown vs. Board of Education In 1954, after 2 years in court, the nation was shocked by a landmark decision to grant Linda Brown, a Black fifth-grader, admission into a white elementary school in Topeka, Kansas. The decision engendered feelings of triumph and outrage across a country that had lived under the weight of racial segregation and discrimination for over 100 years.

The Winds of Change Soon, average Black citizens across the country began speaking out against oppression and demanding equal rights. This was the beginning of America’s Civil Rights Movement.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005) In 1955, after a long day of work, 42-year-old Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery County bus This set off peaceful and violent protests throughout the South.

Television Changes Everything By this time, many families had televisions and as images of Southern race riots and violent protests reached into American homes the magnitude of Southern racism began to sink into the American consciousness. Moreover, the rest of the world began to frown upon America’s treatment of Blacks, and segregation, like slavery, became a national embarrassment for a country who had fought in two world wars as great liberators of the down-trodden masses.

Dr. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) Black Hero-Leaders began to rally together Black Americans in order to fight oppression and for a country where all men were truly treated as equals. MLK's "I Have a Dream" by Shmoop (3:30mins): http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vLekHGED78

Desegregation A national and international call for desegregation of the South rang out and Blacks and Whites all over the country started putting pressure on governments to amend the segregation laws . Those individuals, both Black and White, who fought for Civil Rights were under constant attack from White Supremacists who were unwilling to accept Black Americans as equalsMany freedom-fighters died for their efforts

To Kill a Mockingbird In the Fall of 1960, in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, To Kill a Mockingbird was published. It shot to the top of the New York Times best seller list. A country was finally ready to listen to the story of segregation and open their minds to the possibility of an America where Whites and Blacks could live together as equals.

TKAM - Historical Background The setting Maycomb, Georgia1933-1935 Great DepressionHitler in power in Germany to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

Physical Setting The physical setting includes: The region The climate The buildings The size of the location. In To Kill a Mockingbird , the general physical setting is the South: a small southern Alabama town. ( The five main settings follow .)

Five main physical settings… In and around the Finch house In and around the Radley house School grounds Downtown and around the courthouse and jail The Robinson house . These settings relate to themes about family , superstition and fear, education, justice, and prejudice.

Social Setting The chief element of the social setting are the: racial prejudice the role of women caste system of Maycomb *It is important to note occasions when members of different castes meet. Social setting is tied to themes of: racial prejudice boundaries injustice The social setting is closely related to, and perhaps a product of, the physical setting . The social setting is not stated explicitly, but is developed through the novel.

Historical Background - Race Slavery was abolished in 1864, but Southerners still believe in white supremacy. Segregation exists.Blacks may not sit in the same sections as whites. They have separate facilities as well. to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

Historical Background - Gender Gender BiasWomen were the weaker sex.Education not important for women. Wealthy women were expected to supervise staffMen were not seen as nurturing to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

Historical Background Caste System (Poor White Families) to kill a mockingbird by harper lee Poor White Families Hard-working Honest Proud Survive on very little Always pay back their debts – even if it is with hickory nuts, turnips, or holly. The Cunninghams fit this category

Historical Background Caste System ( Poor White Trash) Poor W hite T rash Dirty Lazy Good-for-nothing Never done a day’s work Foul-mouthed Dishonest Immoral The Ewells fit this category to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

Historical Background The Caste System (Poor Black Families) The Black Community Simple Honest Clean Hard-working God fearing Proud Would never take anything with paying it back Respectful Had stronger character than most of the whites Oppressed Uneducated Discriminated against Talked about badly Deserve better than what is dished out to them by society to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Jean Louise Finch “Scout” The story’s narrator Although now an adult, Scout looks back at her childhood and tells of the momentous events and influential people of those years.Scout is six when the story begins.She is naturally curious about life. to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Atticus Finch Father of Scout and Jem A widowerAn attorney by professionHighly respectedGood citizen Instills good values and morals in his children. to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Jem Finch Scout’s older brother Looks up to his father AtticusUsually looks out for ScoutTypical older brother at timesSmart Compassionate Matures as the story progresses to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Calpurnia The Finch’s black housekeeperHas watched the children since their mother’s death Has been a positive influence on the children.to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Dill A close friend of Jem and Scout Usually lives in Maycomb only during the summer (stays with a relative)Tells “big stories”Has been deprived of love and affection to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Tom Robinson A young, harmless, innocent, hardworking black man Has a crippled left handMarried with three children. Works on a farm belonging to Mr. Link Deas , a white man to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Arthur “Boo” Radley An enigma An adult man, whose father has “sentenced” him to a lifetime confinement to their house because of some mischief he got into when he was a teenager.Has a reputation of being a lunaticBasically a harmless, well-meaning person Sometimes childlike in behavior Starving for love and affection to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Mayella Ewell The oldest child of Bob Ewell ShyLonely to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Miss Maudie Atkinson Scout’s Neighbor Loves gardens and bakes the best cake in MaycombKnows how to treat children like adults to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose A mean old woman in the Finch neighborhood Teaches the children a lesson in braveryto kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Aunt Alexandra Atticus’s sisterWants Scout to be a lady Wants Jem to be a gentlemanto kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Bob Ewell Mayella’s poor white trash fatherThe town parasite who lives off the town’s bounty to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

TKAM - Characters Heck Tate The town sheriff to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

What to Look For in Chapters 1-5 Scout JemDill AtticusCalpurniaBoo Radley Walter Cunningham Rachel Caroline Fisher Burris Ewell Gum Hot Steam Molasses Cootie Read

Videos Introduction: http://www.60secondrecap.com/study-guide/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird-introduction /Recap: http://www.60secondrecap.com/study-guide/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird-motifs/ To Kill A Mockingbird – Setting (1:55mins): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhAT_2v6VAQ To Kill a Mockingbird Historical Context (14:06mins): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgC09oMIwLc

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