In the 1930’s many African-American people were constantly dealing with the racism of that time. People were getting lynched with no involvement of the government and segregation was common throughout the country. America was in one of it’s darkest times. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper lee, the case of Tom Robinson was unjust and a representation of many flaws in the system of justice. In Maycomb, Alabama its judicial system is flawed, due to the way it was constructed.
Racism was at it’s high in Maycomb, Alabama. Many African-American people were dealing with racism and discrimination every day. Atticus, who had defended Tom Robinson in his case against Bob Ewell knew from the very start that the jury would be biased and not favor Tom. He states on page
…show more content…
On page 215, Miss Maudie speaks about Maxwell Green who was originally positioned to defend Tom Robinson, “Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident? That Judge Taylor might have had his reasons for naming him?” This insinuates that Miss Maudie was aware that if Maxwell were to be in charge of the case then Tom’s chances would have been slim to none. Judge Taylor was also aware of this and then changed the defendant to Atticus finch. Atticus had multiple years of experience and would understand the intensity of the case.
It is obvious to any person who has read the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, that the legitimacy of Tom Robinson’s trial is questionable. Tom is tried against a bias jury, with no intentions for considering his innocence. And he was given a death sentence that was unrelenting. The trial demanded a jury without bias or hate towards Tom, but for men like Tom Robinson their innocence was irrelevant to their future. Life is full of prejudice and discriminations, but it shouldn’t happen in the determination of someone 's
Tom Robinson suffered a greater form of prejudice, racism. Unaltered pure racism. This is shown when Atticus says to Jim “Tom Robinson is a coloured man, Jim, no jury in this part of the world’s going to say ‘we think your guilty but not really’ on a charge like that.” (TKMB 219) The belief was that
Tom Robinson would have lived if it were not for the citizens of Maycomb. This situation is shown by the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which is set in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. Tom was charged with raping a 19-year-old woman named Mayella Ewell. Through this trial, the different social standings of white and colored people make themselves known. Tom was given an unfair trial simply due to people’s beliefs that they are unwilling to change.
As stated prior, segregation and Jim Crow Laws promoted racist ideas and actions. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, examples of post Plessy v Ferguson racism is quite prevalent throughout the book. The most significant example is during the court trial scene, where Atticus proves Bob Ewell had falsely accused Tom Robinson of rape, yet still wins the trial. After the trial had been lost, Atticus states “In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins,” to explain how racial inequality was the decisive factor in the trial, and not the truth. This is a perfect example of the struggle for racial equality, and the town of Maycomb backs up that ideal.
What racisms in US at that period was influenced “Tom Robinson trial” in the novel To kill a mockingbird? The aspects and backgrounds of racism in US influenced the novel “To kill the mockingbird” The content of the book called To kill the mockingbird by Harper Lee is including racism of black people, such as Tom Robinson trial. Middle of the Great Depression, this book was published by Harper Lee’s background since he was young.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the story is set in the 1900’s, Maycomb, Alabama. During this time there was racism in the south and segregation which separated the whites and blacks from everything. There was also the Great Depression, the whole country was poor and people living in the country had to trade and do other jobs for people to either pay them off or to buy something from them. The trial in this book is about Mayella and Bob Ewell, two white people, claiming and arguing that Tom Robinson, a black person, raped Mayella Ewell. This trial is really important because at that time in the south, white people took advantage of black people and their kindness and thought they would take that or shut up just because they were black.
Have you ever wondered what a court room means to most people? Well, to most it’s an equalizer for any man or woman present, but there is a flaw to this system. This flaw is bias, the amount of evidence, and witnesses. Today we will talk of whether or not Tom Robinson had received a constitutional trial. If you don’t know “To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee, is a telling of age story, about a girl nicknamed “Scout” growing up, while slowly unlocking the secrets of her home town and the secrets of life.
In my opinion that is truly unfair. It makes sense as to why Atticus decided to defend Tom Robinson. He continuously tries to find the good in everyone and believes that the black community contains good people. Atticus had mentioned to his brother, Jack, that Tom was innocent but “doomed”. It was impossible
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, the classic novel by Harper Lee, is centered around the case of a black man being framed for raping a white woman. In the 1930s there was a similar case. The Scottsboro Boys were a group of nine black teenagers accused of raping two white woman on a train. Neither of these cases had any substantial evidence, but the men were still convicted based on the racial inequality of this time period. Although the Scottsboro case and the fictional Tom Robinson case are very similar, the one critical difference was the fate of each of the defendants as prompted by the community.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the Maycomb court system is totally biased in a discriminatory way. The case of Tom Robinson, if it had not been in this court with its racist jurors, would certainly have not ended the way it did. It only ended the way it did because of peer-pressure, a scared victim being manipulated and believed, and an honest man not. Through her testimony, Mayella Ewell constantly lied.
During the 1930s the south was still raging with racism, and the thought of a black man raping a white woman lead to no further investigation whether it was true or false, he was simply sentenced to death. Atticus Finch, Toms adept lawyer, believed Soulfly in equality and justice for all and was more than happy to defend Tom Robinson with all his heart no matter his race. The Finch family felt very different than the majority of people in Maycomb Alabama. When Tom Robinson has accused the entirety of the town flocked to the courthouse to view the trial. Some with hopes for justice and liberty but most unapologetically hoping for an unfair sentence.
After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.
Ultimately, the jury, not Atticus, declare Tom Robinson innocent or guilty. Atticus is trying to encourage the jury to do what is right, rather than do what society dictates, which is that they must convict a black man. By refusing to do so, they jury threaten the justice system and the equality Jefferson spoke passionately about. Despite Atticus’s logical argument, the jury of Maycomb could not be swayed from their prejudiced, racist views and declared Tom Robinson guilty.
Due to the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird, the outcome of Tom Robinson's trial is likely to be Tom ruled guilty. One piece of evidence to support a guilty verdict is the fact that Tom Robinson is black and the Ewells are white. In the 1930's, if a black man was accused of raping a white woman, a guilty verdict and the death penalty was the most common outcome. Earlier on in the story, Atticus states that they had already lost due to the color of Tom's skin.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during this time and even has a court case in it. This case is the case of Tom Robinson vs Bob Ewell. This case may be fictional, but it shows the racism that took place in that time period. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping and beating Bob Ewell’s daughter Mayella. There was a lynch mob that went after Tom, but was stopped by the main character,
Because the jury did not favor black men, Tom Robinson did not receive a fair trial, although Atticus made a great case. Segregation directly disobeys the fourteenth amendment, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Maycomb Alabama is where the story, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place. Tom Robinson’s trial out come was not based on factual evidence. Mayella was lying to the jury, while Tom was completely innocent.