Examples Of Racial Issues In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the novel, the white people wanted to keep the african americans in their place. Racial issues have been around forever. It is known in american history to have started with the discrimination by the white people and the native americans all the way to the civil rights movement with the african americans. The book was published in 1960, right smack in the middle of the civil rights movement. So with the time of publishing, the book definitely follows with the era. But now, let's get to the point.

The african americans were to be put where they belong. Most people considered them to be in the lowest class possible. Blacks at that time, are compared to a simple farm animal. All the white people were always like, “You’re not as great as I am.” They didn’t want to use the same water
fountains or ride in the same area of the bus. White people had freedom to do whatever they want, and go wherever. Blacks on the other hand had no freedom, couldn’t sit wherever and couldn’t do what they wanted either. Freedom at that time was not very prominent in their lives. The book gives some examples of this, so let’s talk about them.

Slavery ends in 1865 but, the south wants to keep the status quo.
In the novel Tom Robinson was asked by Mayella Ewell to chop up a chifforobe. Maycomb county, while they didn’t have slavery, the african american population was the work force.
One example to that is Calpurnia. She is Mr. Finch’s housekeeper and by that she cooks, cleans, watches the kids, etc. So instead of someone that is white being his housekeeper, she is black. Atticus didn’t really care whether a person was black or white they were all the same. Therefore let’s dig into the idea of Atticus’ morals.

All things considered Atticus was fine with the african americans. When the court was in session he was defending Tom just as well if he was white. Atticus defended a black man for the better of his client not himself. For instance, when Tom goes to jail, Atticus sits by the jail to protect Tom from whoever might want to hurt him. Furthermore Atticus knew that Tom was innocent and tried to prove that. In that subject, Atticus knew that Tom was innocent and there was no crime. Ultimately, Atticus didn’t care whether somebody was white, black, purple, or blue, blacks are just the same as anybody
else.

In conclusion, the white people wanted to keep the african americans in their place. Overall, this student has stated why the book fits with the era of publishing. It started with simply explaining why white people didn’t like the african americans. At that point it proceeded into the entire thought of subjugation in the novel. And we finished with how Atticus saw no difference in white or blacks in the court and in life itself.