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How Does Society Use Racial Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Until 1865, the enslavement of African Americans was legal in the United States (History.com Staff). Most of the nation believed that African Americans weren’t equal to Whites and could be treated as property. Even after slavery was abolished, these racist ideals were ingrained in the minds of most Southerners. In the 1930s, racial ignorance still caused society to believe that African Americans were sinful and a lesser race. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee illustrates how important decisions are influenced by racial ignorance ingrained in a society.
Tom Robinson is deemed guilty in a court case where he is evidently innocent. He is accused of raping a white women when in reality the white women tried to kiss Robinson but was caught and decides to cover up her actions by claiming that she was raped (Lee 254-266). Even though the the evidence proves that Tom Robinson is innocent, he is still deemed guilty by the jury because he is black (Lee 282). This illustrates the racial ignorance of …show more content…

For example, the jury in Tom Robinson’s trial deems Robinson to be guilty even though he is innocent. This decision is influenced by society’s racial ignorance. Dolphus Raymond also makes the important decision to pretend that he is a drunk because of society’s racist beliefs. Finally, Bob Ewell decides to attack Scout and Jem because he is ignorant to the fact that blacks and whites are equal. The racial ignorance seen in To Kill A Mockingbird is similar to the racial ignorance seen today. African Americans are still discriminated against by citizens who are indoctrinated with racist ideals. The racial ignorance in society inspires many African Americans to make the important decision to protest unfair treatment. In brief, the racial ignorance ingrained in society highly influences important decisions made by

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