3/31/14
Eng.9H/Cummings/p.4
Essay #3
“You know if we were to look back and how we were in 1955 living in Jim Crow, living in segregation, living in segregated schools, it 's hard to believe that it was America, but it really was.” -Anna Deavere Smith. This quote was referring to the ghastly Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws arose in the south in 1890 and restricted the way African Americans could participate in society (cliffnotes.com p.1). These laws had a vast influence on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee being that this novel took place in 1930’s Alabama. Specially, these laws influence the novel with examples of segregation, Dolphus Raymond, the outcome of trial and Tom’s death, and people’s views on Atticus. Allow me to further elaborate on these ideas. …show more content…
An example of this is the novel, is how the blacks and whites have different churches. During the time of the Jim Crow laws, churches fell into fixed segregation almost instantly (press.princton.edu p.1). Another example of this in the novel is how in the courtroom there is a section for blacks and a section for whites. In addition to this, when Jem and Scout go and sit in the black section, they are frowned upon. According to the Jim Crow laws, there must be separation between blacks and whites at government facilities, such as in courtrooms (christanpost.com p.1). In To Kill A Mockingbird, there is a separate community for the blacks and whites. The Jim Crow laws state that blacks and whites are not allowed to live on the same block (herritagecenter.com