Racism in to Kill a Mockingbird

“In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.” –Toni Morison. Ever since the birth of our country, The United States of America, it has been known as the land of freedom. At the turn of the 20th century people who were religiously persecuted in European countries dreamed of a life in America without racism. They saw America as “The Land of Freedom.” But their views were misled. America was and is a country deeply rooted in racism; its branches weaving their way throughout our lives, media, literature, language and culture. Our society has grown into a culture of Racism. Now some say that racism had left when slavery was abolished or even when a black president was elected. But they are completely wrong. The culture of racism has not left our society. It has simply become a subconscious thought that has inched its way into our lives. Although placed in a past time period, the book Too Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the movie The Help by Tate Taylor both portray the theme of racism throughout in a way that still correlates to modern day society.
The most obvious affect racism has on the people of Maycomb (the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird) occurs between the whites and the blacks. A great example of this happens during Tom’s Robinson’s trial. “"What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson, a human being. She must put Tom Robinson away from her. Tom Robinson was her daily reminder of what she did. What did she do? She tempted a Negro. She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old Uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards." (Lee 203). This quote shows the traditions of society. White citizens weren’t even socially allowed to confront a Black citizen personally, let alone kiss one. Whites not only viewed blacks as inferior but they didn’t even see them as people.