Tom Robinson Court Case

The book “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee and the article “Scottsboro Boys Trial” both contain controversial court cases. For “To Kill a Mockingbird” a black male named Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. In the “Scottsboro Boys Trial” nine young black men and teenagers are accused of raping two white females named Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. Both cases transpired in the 1930s in Alabama. This is bad for the accused as racism was at an all-time in the 1930s especially in the deep south. This was around the time when the Jim Crow Laws were still intact and black people were not still considered people and they would still lynch black people. If a black man was accused of any crime involving a white person the jury would take the white man's word over the black man’s word. These exact things

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the famous father named Atticus says “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it (Judith 2).  This quote is said during a time of intense racism. “Not long after Obama took office, the National Urban League released its 2009 State of Black America report. The findings showed that racial inequities continued in employment, housing, health care, education, criminal justice, and other areas” (Buckley 1).  This essay will primarily focus on the criminal justice area of this when discussing the Scottsboro trials and comparing the trials to the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  In some schools, To Kill a Mockingbird is mandatory for students to read (“Harper Lee dies at 89: A quiet life, a lasting legacy-- see the photos” 2) however, in others it is banned.  Jon Stewart said there is a “gaping racial wound that will not heal, yet we pretend doesn’t exist” (Judith 2). There are similarities between the famous Scottsboro Trials and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, tells the story of two children, Jem and Scout Finch living in Maycomb, Alabama, around the time of the Great Depression. Their father, Atticus, also happens to be a lawyer and tries teaching the children strong moral values, such as not holding prejudices against others based on skin tone or social background. In addition, Atticus happens to be defending an African-American man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape by one of the more undesirable members of the town, Mayella Ewell and her father Bob. In the end, however, Tom cannot escape the racism that plagues Maycomb and after many hours of deliberation by the jury, he is convicted and sent to jail. There Tom tries to regain his freedom and escape but he is shot and killed. After some time, Jem and Scout are assaulted by Bob Ewell- who does it out of revenge on Atticus for embarrassing him-but they are saved by their mysterious neighbor, Arthur “Boo” Radley who happens to be a recluse. Throughout the story, Harper Lee uses a motif of time to show the loss of freedom for many characters.

In the story To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it displays how many racial issues occurred in the southern part of the country during the 1930’s. An example being when Tom Robinson who is a innocent black man who is being accused of assault against Mayella Ewell. At the courthouse, every witness stated that Tom Robinson raped Mayella Ewell on November 21st and punched her in her right eye. But, Tom Robinson can’t use his left arm so there was no possible way that Tom Robinson punched Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch attempts to prove Tom Robinson’s innocence by using strong, emotional appeals to convince the jury.

The Tom Robinson trial or “To Kill a Mockingbird” trial is a trial that Tom Robinson was accused of rape. The trial takes place in the 1930s in a rather small town named Maywell, its population had a white dominance. Tom Robinson was a black man with a crippled left arm, he was a good man that had a wife and kids.

This essay will be about two injustices the Scottsboro trial and Tom Robinson’s trial. A few similarities are that they were treated unfairly and they were all accused of a repulsive crime, raping a white woman. In the Scottsboro trial though, two women were supposedly raped. Both trials happened in the same time period, while also noting that the women in both trials came from poor backgrounds. Atticus gave his all to his case while the nine young men’s lawyer also tried his best. Overall these innocent men deserved more than what they recieved, an unfair treatment in and out of the courtroom.

Racial Discrimination was very prevalent during the 1930’s. The line between caucasians and african americans was relevant in the way the african american community was treated in the south. The african american community had very little to no rights, which was strongly represented in the Powell V. Alabama court cases.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes a town in Alabama known as Maycomb. This town is where a trial is being held for a black man by the name of Tom Robinson who is accused of sexually assaulting a troubled young white women named Mayella Ewell. The trial results charge Robinson as guilty even though he was innocent beyond a reasonable doubt. Tom Robinson fell victim to the racist mindset of the white people of Maycomb. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates how racial injustice has a lasting impact on an individual and his loved ones when Tom Robinson gets convicted of a heinous crime that he did not commit.

American history is a sad and bloody history with many bumps that have created it into the superpower it is today. This hardship from our history played a crucial part in many books and especially To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee created a writing masterpiece by using real life events as well as using real life corrupted laws. Connections like the Jim Crow laws, the mob mentality, and issues of racism that were taking place in that time.

Tim Johnson was a recognizable dog in Maycomb County, Alabama. Tim Johnson was regarded as “The pet of Maycomb county”(105). This title is very interesting. This means Tim Johnson is the mascot for the people of Maycomb. Tim Johnson’s owner was Mr. Harry Johnson. Mr. Harry Johnson traveled in a mobile bus and lived on the southern part of town. Tim Johnson is introduced in chapter ten. This is the first time in the book Tim Johnson is mentioned. Tim Johnson is suspected to have rabies by the children at first glance. After running for help, it is agreed the dog is not in a healthy state. The dog having rabies causes the neighborhood to stand still. Atticus Finch is given the job to put the dog down. He successfully stops the dog. Even though Tim dies, this is not the last time the scene is mentioned. This scene is mentioned during important moments in the book. Tim Johnson was not just a lovely dog that was unexpectedly infected by rabies. He was not just introduced for entertainment. Tim Johnson was introduced to for a far greater reason. This scene is a revelation to the reader. This scene reveals how Atticus Finch is always called upon to the dirty work for the county. Atticus does not run, but rather stand up and complete the task that is always given to him. It was not as simple as just shooting a mad

Prejudice, racism, classes, apathy, justice. These are the wonders and horrors of the American judicial system. Both the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the play “Twelve Angry Men”, portray those subjects in both similar and different ways. The trials in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Twelve Angry Men” had many similarities, but all of those stemmed into differences. I will be addressing the settings, the jury prejudice, the lawyers, and the way they would be ruled in modern society.

Racism in the 1930’s served as an injustice to blacks that were convicted of crimes. In the time periods of the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Scottsboro Boys trial, discrimination in Alabama was atrocious, and racial injustice was seen throughout this time period. The Scottsboro trial shows how discrimination played a large role in Alabama during the 1930’s. This influenced Harper Lee’s to write about the Tom Robinson case. In many ways, the Scottsboro trials were more similar to the Tom Robinson case, but at some points had differences.

During the 1930’s, racism and prejudice against black people was very prevalent in everyday life. They were segregated from white people in almost all aspects of society; bathrooms, public transportation, schools, housing and even jails were segregated. Black people were treated as second class citizens, beneath even the poorest of white people.Black people were not the only victims; women were limited in everything they did. Women were meant to sit around, look pretty, and do domestic work around the house. Some women were happy to do this while others like Scout, a character in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, dreaded the day that this would become her life. To Kill a Mockingbird brings to light the racist and sexist attitudes of the 1930’s

Race has always been a part of history, from slavery to MLK, to Barack Obama. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee defines race in the south during the 1930’s. Jean “Scout” Finch, is the narrator of the story. Her brother Jeremy “Jem” and her dad, Atticus, are both main characters. Calpurnia is their house cook and helper, she is also black. Tom Robinson is a black man who is wrongfully convicted of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. This novel goes through Scout's life from when she was 6, till she is 9. She lives in the town of Maycomb Alabama, and lives an innocent life until about halfway through the story, where she begins to ask questions. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout shows the readers that racial inequality creates an unjust society through the African American community, through the people surrounding colored folks, and through Tom Robinson’s Case.

During the early 1900s , racism was dominating the south. Jim Crow Laws gave blacks little rights and made it almost impossible to live a normal life. In court, judges and juries were filled with white men. Biases and racism over run court rulings. A black man winning a trial over a white man was unheard of. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates the difficulties of being a black man on trial. Tom Robinson, a black man, is on trial for a crime that he did not commit. Atticus Finch, Tom’s lawyer and the father of Jem and Scout, attempts to overcome the barriers of racism and keep an innocent man from being found guilty. In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbolic significance of the snowman and fire, the mad