To Kill a Mockingbird: Historical Information

Introduction

In order to analyze a literary novel you must first, understand the time, place, and people in which it is based. As we study Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird we have to look beyond the literary context into the past. While we have to have an in-depth understanding of the plot of the novel and its setting of the South in the 1930's. We must seek to understand the people, their way of life, and the ideas upon which they built their lives.

Task

Through this WebQuest you will now take a step back into the past, the 1930s You will explore the lives of people during that time to analyze social interaction, economic and educational disparity, and individual rights under the law.

You will complete four tasks about Harper Lee, Jim Crow Laws, The Scottsboro boys, and the Great Depression. For each task, you will read and view the sources posted, and answer the guided questions for each task. Answer these questions in Cornell Note format.

Process

You will be working individually on this assignment—sorry no group work. For each task, you will

TASK 1: Harper Lee

Your job is to become an expert about Harper Lee. Click on the links below to read her biography. You will need to read both links to answer the questions. When you are finished, answer the questions provided to you. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about her.

Links:

Questions:

1. When and where was Harper Lee born? What was her family like?

2. Who was her childhood best friend?

3. What did she study in college?

4. What year was To Kill A Mockingbird published? When was it adapted to screen?

5. Was Harper Lee honored in any way following the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird?

6. Harper Lee's real life influenced many of the characters and events in To Kill A Mockingbird. Given what have you learned about her life (including personality traits, friends, family, experiences) make a prediction about what kinds of issues might surface in the book. Do you think that your knowledge about Harper Lee will influence your reading of the book? Should it influence your reading of the book? Why or why not?

TASK 2: Jim Crow Laws

Your job is to become an expert about the history of Jim Crow laws. Please read the link below. When you are finished, answer the questions provided to you. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about Jim Crow Laws.

Questions:

1. Imagine that you were born black in 1860 and lived until 1920. Would you have any faith in the U.S. legal system? In the “American way of life”? Why or why not?

2. Most laws are meant to promote the general welfare or protect society from an evil. Did Jim Crow laws serve these purposes? If so, how? If not, what was their purpose?

3. Under Jim Crow, black facilities were often of far poorer quality than those reserved for whites. Separate rarely meant equal. If blacks and whites had received equal treatment, would Jim Crow laws have been fair?

4. Read the 14th Amendment and explain how the Supreme Court used it to disallow segregation in the Brown decision. Why didn’t the Court use it for the same purpose in Plessy v. Ferguson?

TASK 3: Scottsboro Boys

Your job is to become an expert on the Scottsboro Boys. Click on the link below to start learning about them. When you are finished, answer the questions below. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about The Scottsboro Boys and their trials.

Questions:

1. Who were the Scottsboro Boys? How did they get into so much trouble?

2. Where and when did the Scottsboro Boys' original trial take place? How do you think this affected the outcome of their trial?

3. Describe the trials. Were they fair or unfair? Please include at least 3 supporting facts to back up your description.

4. Were the Scottsboro Boys ever pardoned of their convictions?

TASK 4: The Great Depression

Your job is to become an expert on the Great Depression. Read through the links provided, and then answer the questions below. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about the Great Depression.

Questions:

1. What is "Black Tuesday" and why does it mark the beginning of the Great Depression?

2. Many people believe that WWII marked the end of the Great Depression. How did the war affect the economy?

3. What was the New Deal? How did the New Deal affect American citizens?

4. What was the Dust Bowl?

5. Given what you learned about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, make a prediction about what you think the setting of To Kill A Mockingbird will look like. What will the houses look like? What will the characters be wearing? How will the characters act towards each other? How will Scout's classmates act toward Scout knowing that her father is a lawyer?

Evaluation

You will be graded on the notes that you take for each task. You will also complete a daily exit slip about what you have learned in each task.

Conclusion

You have completed your journey back to the 1930's South. You now have the background to support an in-depth reading, analysis, and interpretation of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. You will be required to draw upon this knowledge to further you understanding of the novel, support assumption, and drive your inquiry, which will led to higher level questioning and responses in discussions and product development.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Historical Information

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assignment Task

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Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion