Historical Background of TKAM(1)

Historical Background of To Kill a mocking Bird

Slavery
a) When and how did slavery begin in the southern state?
Slavery first began in 1619, and it was started first in Virgina, at that time which was a British colony. The state imported the the Africans, whcih was a practice started by the Spanish in the 16^th century.

b) Which country were the slaves brought from?
The slaves were brought from west and central Africa, which included countries like Cameroon, Senengal and Ghana.

c) Who traditionally bought and owned slaves?
The Europeans traditonally bought and owned. It was a practice started by the Spanish and Portuguese.

d) Were there laws/rules that the slaves had to abide by? If yes what were they?
Yes, there were laws that the slave had to abide by. For example, the slaves cannot redeem themselves, cannot not retalliate even if their masters mistreat them and also the fact that slavery is heriditary.

e) How does the notion of slavery relate to the novel? Does the study of slavery help you understand th novel better.
It let me understand more about why the characters in the novel had a certain level of prejudice and discrimination towards “negroes”.

The civil war
a) Identify the southern states?
South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi

b) Who was the US president who proclaimed war against the South?
Abraham Lincoln

c) Why was the civil war fought?
The war was fought over slavery, the Union forces were fighting to free the slaves while the South fought in order to ensure the continuation of slavery.

d) When was this war fought?
It was fought from April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865.

e) What was the outcome of this war?
The Union forces won the war.

d) How does the civil rights movement relates to novel?
The civil rights movement relates to the novel through the fact that the historical backgroung of the novel was in the era of the civil rights movement

Jim crow’s laws
a) Who is Jim Crow?
Jim Crow is not a person but the subject of a song performed by Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice, a white man who performed in blackfaceand denigrated Blacks through his music, his stereotypical behavior, and his rude jokes.

b) What were Jim Crow Laws?
The Jim Crow laws were legal social restrictions that separated Afro-Americans from white Americans in during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

c) What was the response of the slaves and the Blacks to these laws?
They started the civil rights movement to protest on these laws.

d) Do we see Jim Crows laws laws surfaced in the novel? If so then in which
part of the novel?
Yes, it surface in the Tom Robinson trials where he was found guilty due to his skin colour.