To Kill a Mockingbird: Essay on Racism

Racism is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race." Millions of Black Americans were mistreated and were not given equal rights for a few hundred years, which did not end when slavery was abolished, but when the Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress in 1964. From the time when slaves were brought here, up until the Civil Rights Act, black people have been subjected to severe prejudice which caused several of them to go to jail or killed for things that they did not do. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson, a black laborer, was unfairly charged with raping a white woman, and Atticus Finch was appointed to defend him in court. Throughout the novel, Atticus and his children, Jem and Scout, are all subjected to the racist feelings of Maycomb folks.

Screenshot of To Kill a Mockingbird(an American mo...

President George W. Bush awards the Presidential M...

Sign for "colored" waiting room at a Greyhound bus...

Throughout the book, Jem, one of the main characters, faces the harsh reality of racism and learns how cruel people can be. Soon after Atticus is appointed to Tom Robinson's case, does Jem see that Maycomb is a very racist society. Jem only realizes the full extent of racism when he learns about Tom's conviction. He is starstruck when he learns about the jury's decision because it was crystal-clear that Tom Robinson was innocent. Jem soon realizes that many people in Maycomb know that racism is wrong, but they do little to change it. Also, he realizes, when talking to Miss Maudie, that there is nothing he can do to change the minds of the Maycomb folks. He starts becoming disillusionment because he thought "Maycomb folks were the best folks" (215), but now he knows they are...