Both film and novel are set in the South during the times of segregation, where Black people and White people lived separately from one another. This is primarily due to the Jim Crow laws which enforced segregation between Blacks and Whites. The Great Debaters is set in the 1930's when no one challenged these laws, while The Secret Life of Bees is set in the 1960's when change was occurring from the Civil Rights movement. It is evident in the film that these laws were not challenged when Dr. James Farmer
Both film and novel are set in the South during the times of segregation, where Black people and White people lived separately from one another. This is primarily due to the Jim Crow laws which enforced segregation between Blacks and Whites. The Great Debaters is set in the 1930's when no one challenged these laws, while The Secret Life of Bees is set in the 1960's when change was occurring from the Civil Rights movement. It is evident in the film that these laws were not challenged when Dr. James Farmer