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To Kill A Mockingbird: A Resource Guide: Scholarly Resources

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Research Intro

The themes presented in Harper Lee's  To Kill a Mockingbird  presents an angle for research on the subject of  racial discrimination , as well as the study of  race relations ,  social injustice ,  segregation  and more.

This page is designed to provide you with resources on these subjects through journals & books found in the catalog, suggested subject headings, and other scholarly resources.

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Analysis, adaptations, and Go Set a Watchman

• What is To Kill a Mockingbird about?
• What inspired Harper Lee to write To Kill a Mockingbird ?
• How did people respond to To Kill a Mockingbird ?
• Why is To Kill a Mockingbird a significant text?
• Is there a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird ?

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• National Endowment for the Arts - To Kill a Mockingbird
• Encyclopedia of Alabama - To Kill A Mockingbird
• Internet Archive - "To Kill a Mockingbird"
• Academia - To Kill a Mockingbird: Race, Class and Innocence in the Contemporary Society INTRODUCTION
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

To Kill a Mockingbird is both a young girl’s coming-of-age story and a darker drama about the roots and consequences of racism and prejudice , probing how good and evil can coexist within a single community or individual. Scout’s moral education is twofold: to resist abusing others with unfounded negativity but also to persevere when these values are inevitably, and sometimes violently, subverted. Criticism of the novel’s tendency to sermonize has been matched by praise of its insight and stylistic effectiveness.

Lee reportedly based the character of Atticus Finch on her father, Amasa Coleman Lee, a compassionate and dedicated lawyer and newspaper editor. The plot of To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired in part by his unsuccessful youthful defense in 1919 of two African American men convicted of murder , the only criminal case he ever took.

One character from the novel, Charles Baker (“Dill”) Harris, is based on Truman Capote , Lee’s friend since childhood and next-door neighbour in Monroeville, Alabama . Lee served as the basis of the tomboy Idabel Thompkins in Capote’s first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). In the winter of 1959–60, just before the release of To Kill a Mockingbird , Lee journeyed to Kansas with Capote and helped him in the research for his “nonfiction novel” In Cold Blood , about the murder of four members of the Clutter family. After the phenomenal success that followed the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird and the lack of further novels from Lee, some suspected that Capote was the actual author of Lee’s work, a rumour put to rest when, in 2006, a 1959 letter from Capote to his aunt was found, stating that he had read and liked the draft of To Kill a Mockingbird that Lee had shown him but making no mention of any role in writing it.

The novel inspired adaptations , the most notable of which was the classic 1962 film starring Gregory Peck as Atticus. His Academy Award -winning performance became an enduring part of cinema history. ( Robert Duvall made his film debut as Boo Radley.) Aaron Sorkin adapted the novel into a Broadway play that debuted in 2018. (Lee’s estate sued over Sorkin’s adaptation in which Atticus rather than Scout was the main character, but the dispute was resolved before the play opened.)

In 2015 Lee released a second novel: Go Set a Watchman , written just before To Kill a Mockingbird but set 20 years later featuring Scout as a grown woman based in New York City who returns to her Alabama childhood home to visit her father. Although some claimed Go Set a Watchman is an earlier draft of To Kill a Mockingbird , it was actually Lee’s first novel, completed in 1957. Lee then began a second novel incorporating short stories based on her childhood. Lee was encouraged by her agent Maurice Crain to finish the second novel and not try to merge the two books. However, after the enormous success of To Kill a Mockingbird , Lee set Go Set a Watchman aside, and the completed manuscript of that novel languished in a safe-deposit box in Monroeville for decades. Go Set a Watchman excited controversy because it depicts Atticus as an ardent segregationist whose views horrify Scout, who has to reconcile Atticus’s racist attitudes with the kindly and loving father of her childhood memories.

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How ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Changed Their Lives

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By Sona Patel

• Feb. 19, 2016

Harper Lee’s “ To Kill a Mockingbird ” has transported generations of readers to small-town Alabama in the 1930s and confronted them with a sobering tale of racial inequality in the Deep South during Jim Crow. Read by many students in middle school and high school, it has left a mark on innumerable lives.

On the day of Ms. Lee’s death , The New York Times asked readers to share scenes from the novel, published in 1960, and movie (1962) that had stuck with them. Hundreds responded.

“To me, it beautifully captures both the hardships and oppressions human being inflict on one another time and again,” Sarah Twiest, 42, of San Francisco, wrote of the book. She continued, writing that it “also leaves us with a sense of hope that with a clear heart, things may change. This message was relevant in America in the 1960s, and it continues to be so important today in the face of continued and persistent injustice in our nation.”

Below are a selection of responses.

More Than Classroom Reading

”I reread the novel for the first time since eighth grade this past summer, and I will always be struck by the scene where Atticus has lost the trial and Jem struggles to understand how something so undeniably wrong has been allowed. One quote from it was everywhere after it was decided Darren Wilson would face no charges for killing Michael Brown, and it made me want to revisit the book. Everyone has a moment in their adolescence where the world’s injustice is so clear and seems so powerful that your childlike optimism and naiveté is taken. Lee beautifully captured that moment here, but also reaffirmed how hope still lies in people like Atticus who reassures Jem and us. For me, I turned back to the book for Atticus’s wisdom to serve as a model for how to go forward after a moment of blatant injustice.”

— Gabby Gillespie , 18 , Old Bridge, N.J.

“I have many memories of freshman year, some that I’d prefer to forget. But one I will always keep close is the memory of reading ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ It was the first book we studied, and its impact on my life was significant. The novel showed me the distinction between understanding others and imposing my views on them, and the transformative power of empathy. For, isn’t that what literature is all about? Taking us on a journey of the trials and joys of the human experience, and guiding us through times where the distinction between morality is all too subtle? My academic experience has been markedly defined by the books I have read, and I am certain that if I can approach life with the same curiosity, empathy and joy that permeates ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ I will be a wholly better person.”

— Janie Booth , 18, Durham , N.C.

“As a young girl, my father read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ to me; in high school I used that copy of the book as my English class read it together; and when I myself became a high school English teacher, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was always my favorite book to teach and many of my students’ favorite to read. For me the line that has always stood out is when Scout thinks to herself, ‘Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.’ This truly captures my love of reading, and what I hoped to help cultivate in my students.”

— Allison Quijano , 32, Gilbert , Ariz.

Writers, Teachers and Lawyers React to Harper Lee’s Death

Reflections on the legacy of the celebrated American writer.

Harper Lee: Her Life and Work

Highlights from the career of Ms. Lee, the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” who died on Friday at 89.

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Historical Context

To kill a mockingbird, by harper lee.

'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee was apt in timing as it addressed the powerful issue of race at a time in history when serious conversations and actions about race were taking place across the world.

Article written by Onyekachi Osuji

B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in a 1930s Southern small town in Alabama, USA, but was written in the late 1950s and published in 1960. Both the era of the novel’s setting and the timing of its writing and publication combine to give it a profound historical context.

The Jim Crow Era

The Jim Crow era is a period ranging from the late 1880s to the mid-1960s when local and state laws, mostly in Southern states of the US, enforced racial segregation in all public facilities and stringent voting requirements that disenfranchised some poor white people and a majority of the black population.

The state built separate schools for blacks and whites, separate compartments in public transport vehicles, black people were not allowed into hotels and banks for white people, and the residential area for blacks was separated from that of whites. These Southern states rationalized this discriminatory policy with the phrase ”seperate but equal”, but in actuality, the public facilities allotted to the blacks were significantly inferior to those for the whites.

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the Jim Crow laws are still in effect in the setting, and an indication of this is in Jem and Scout’s cluelessness about the lives of black people when they follow Calpurnia to the Black people’s church and in the decidedly secluded part of town meant for blacks only.

The Great Depression

The Great Depression was a period of severe economic depression that began in the United States and spread across the world from the year 1929 to 1939.

In To Kill a Mockingbird , the narrator remarks that everyone is poor but in relation to others, the farmers are the most impoverished by the economic depression. The Cunningham family, who are farmers, are described to be so poor that they cannot afford to feed well or to pay for legal services. This description is realistic because farmers were badly hit by the depression as crop prices fell by about 60 percent during the period.

Nazi Germany

To Kill a Mockingbird makes allusions to the totalitarian rule and antisemitic policies of Adolf Hitler in Germany. Adolph Hitler became the ruler of Germany in 1933 and ruled until his suicide in 1945.

Hitler’s rule in Germany is used as a backdrop to show the extent of hypocrisy, bigotry, and multiple moral standards some Southern white people have when it comes to race and racism. For instance, we see the character Miss Gates passionately condemning Hitler’s antisemitic actions of the Adolph Hitler dictatorship but passionately supporting injustice and discrimination against blacks in her own community.

The Civil Rights Movement

The writing and publication of the racially-themed To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee aptly coincided with the uprising against racial discrimination and the Civil Rights Movement that was gaining momentum in the Southern States of the US. The 1950s and 1960s had the South becoming an epicenter of civil disobedience, nonviolent resistance, protests, and riots.

There was the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education Topeka that pronounced school segregation unconstitutional, the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, the 1956 Sugar Bowl riots, the emergence of the charismatic black freedom fighter Martin Luther King Jr, and his leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the late 1950s and other civil unrests campaigning for the abolishment of racial discrimination. All these events provided an apt historical context for the reception of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird .

Why are the Cunninghams poor?

The Cunninghams in To Kill a Mockingbird are poor because they are small-town farmers who were adversely affected by the economic hardships of the Great Depression.

Why is To Kill a Mockingbird famous?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is famous for being a well-told story that exposes the evils of discrimination and cruelty in a masterful narration from a child’s perspective. To Kill a Mockingbird ‘s 1962 film adaptation with the same title also helped make the novel more famous.

What does Atticus mean when he says Mr Cunningham has blind spots?

Atticus was referring to Mr Cunningham’s racial prejudice. Atticus believed that Mr Cunningham’s racist actions were a product of conditioning from the racist community to which he belongs and also of his ignorance.

Is To Kill a Mockingbird a true story?

No, To Kill a Mockingbird is not a true story. It is a fictional novel, written by Harper Lee. The novel was published in the year 1960.

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About Onyekachi Osuji

Onyekachi was already an adult when she discovered the rich artistry in the storytelling craft of her people—the native Igbo tribe of Africa. This connection to her roots has inspired her to become a Literature enthusiast with an interest in the stories of Igbo origin and books from writers of diverse backgrounds. She writes stories of her own and works on Literary Analysis in various genres.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

Introduction, setting of the novel, historical context, about the authorship of this novel, to kill a mockingbird summary, themes in to kill a mockingbird, the journey of good and evil is parallel, the importance of moral education, social inequality, to kill a mockingbird characters analysis, scout finch, atticus finch, arthur boo radley, charles baker dill harris, miss maudie atkinson, aunt alexandra, mayella ewell, tom robinson, to kill a mocking bird analysis, significance of the title, interpreting the epigraph, the fictional town of maycomb and its significance, interpreting the end of the novel, to kill a mockingbird as an autobiography, to kill a mockingbird is a story of injustices:, more from harper lee.

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Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird

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Teaching Mockingbird

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About This Collection

For educators who choose to teach  To Kill a Mockingbird —or whose districts mandate it—we offer this collection of classroom-ready activities, documentary-style videos, primary source readings, and more. Beloved by many readers and educators as a story of moral courage, it has also been criticized for its limited portrayal of Black characters, dated treatment of racism, and promotion of a “white savior” narrative. This complex novel can be the entry point for meaningful learning, but it demands a careful and intentional approach in the classroom. 

At a time when many in the United States and around the world are reckoning with systemic racism, responsibly teaching Mockingbird involves setting Harper Lee’s fictional story in its historical context, centering Black voices that are missing from the text, and examining the story and its messages with a critical lens. 

For educators who choose to teach To Kill a Mockingbird —or whose districts mandate it—we offer this collection of classroom-ready activities, documentary-style videos, primary source readings, and more.

Essential Questions

• What factors influence our moral growth?
• What kinds of experiences help us learn how to judge right from wrong?

Meeting Standards

Our Teaching Mockingbird study guide closely aligns with the instructional shifts encouraged by the Common Core State Standards and is informed by Facing History’s unique pedagogical approach, grounded in adolescent and moral development. The shifts include:

• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction
• Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational
• Regular practice with complex text and academic language

For each section, there are suggestions for writing, reflection, and close reading activities that engage students in deep investigation of the text.

Teaching Mockingbird: Alignment with Common Core Standards

This resource is grounded in the three instructional shifts required by the Common Core State Standards for Literacy:

• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction This resource combines a deep exploration of To Kill a Mockingbird with a variety of primary and secondary sources, memoir, and other informational text that can help enrich students’ understanding of the novel’s themes. Students build knowledge through their deep investigation of text and content through discussion, writing, and individual and group activities.
• Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Many of the Connection Questions, journal prompts, and other activities throughout this resource require that students explain and defend their responses and analysis using evidence from one or more texts, including both the novel and related informational texts. (One example of this is the culminating writing assignment based on the central question, mentioned above.) In addition, the resource provides a wide variety of opportunities for different forms of writing and discussion.
• Regular practice with complex text and academic language Many of the texts included in this resource are indeed complex and highly sophisticated. In order to support students’ engagement with these texts, each section highlights key academic vocabulary that students should understand and each section also includes specific close reading activities, both for passages from the novel and also comparing passages from the novel with related nonfiction. The close reading activities were created by Dr. David Pook, chair of the history department at The Derryfield School and an educational consultant. Pook was a contributing writer to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, and he consults with several organizations, districts and schools on work aligned with the CCSS.

What’s Included

This collection is designed to be flexible. You can use all of the resources or choose a selection best suited to your classroom. It includes:

• 9 videos 
• 3 audio interviews
• 17 readings

Preparing to Teach

A note to teachers.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a complex text that demands careful teaching. Some read the novel as a compelling portrait of moral courage. Yet the novel’s limited perspective on race and racism, and its one-dimensional portrayal of Black characters within a larger story of a young white girl’s moral awakening, raise the concern that teaching the novel can do more harm than good. 

We offer these principles for educators who want to engage with the complexity of the novel and guide students through a sensitive and critical reading that encompasses the novel, the world of the novel, the world of Harper Lee, and our world today.

Start with Yourself

As readers and as educators, our own identities and experiences shape our understanding of this—or any—text. What is your own relationship to the novel? What perspectives and experiences shape your reading of the text and the goals you have for teaching it? What other, different perspectives might you want to consider?

Center Your Students

Who is in your classroom? How might your students’ own identities and life experiences shape their encounter with this novel? How might you use journals , exit tickets , or other tools to better understand how students are responding to the novel? How can you directly address the novel’s repeated use of racist epithets and ensure that the experience of reading and discussing the novel doesn’t further marginalize some students? (Facing History’s Teaching Mockingbird guide contains resources that can help.) Are students prepared and developmentally ready to critically engage with the novel? Given that Mockingbird is often taught in middle schools, might your school consider moving the text to a high school-level course?

Related Materials

• Book Teaching Mockingbird
• Teaching Strategy Journals in the Classroom
• Teaching Strategy Exit Tickets

Reflect on Your Purpose

Educators always need to consider the purpose behind our curriculum choices and articulate learning goals for our students. With a novel like Mockingbird, which has been a fixture of many curricula for decades, it’s especially important to intentionally develop learning goals. What do you want students to learn from their engagement with this novel? How might your students’ identities and experiences—and current events and contemporary issues—influence what they can gain from studying it?

Put the Novel in Context

Readers experience the story through the eyes of a young narrator who often doesn’t grasp what she is seeing. Use historical sources that more fully portray the world of the novel, including the brutal injustices of Jim Crow and white supremacy in 1930s Alabama. Also, consider the context of the 1950s, when Harper Lee was writing Mockingbird . How did Lee seek to shape her readers’ thinking about race and justice? Why was the novel so celebrated when it was first published? What new ideas, insights, and imperatives have emerged in the 60 years since?

Center Black Voices

Harper Lee’s Black characters—Calpurnia, Tom, Lula, and others— are less fully realized than Atticus, Scout, Miss Maudie, and other white characters. Incorporate supplementary sources that more fully voice Black experiences in the 1930s and prompt students to consider the events of the novel from those perspectives. A wide selection of such resources and related activities is included in Facing History’s Teaching Mockingbird guide.

Cultivate Critical Readers

Teaching Mockingbird responsibly today involves inviting students to critically engage with the text and its implications—not communicating an established set of moral lessons. Even as students follow Scout’s coming of age and awakening to the injustices of her world, they can also consider the novel’s limitations as a guide for racial justice—including how the story presents Atticus as a white savior (though he actually fails to save Tom from a violent death) and stops short of confronting white supremacy and systemic injustice.

Consider Your Whole Curriculum

To Kill a Mockingbird should not be the only book in your syllabus that addresses issues of race and racism. If you teach Mockingbird, what other texts come before and after it? How might you thoughtfully select texts that complement Mockingbird by exploring other periods, voices and perspectives? Our friends at Learning for Justice produced some text selection tools that you may find helpful.

• Link Reading Diversity

Fostering a Reflective Classroom

To Kill a Mockingbird, like many literary works, includes both language and topics that require careful consideration from teachers and students. We believe the best way to prepare to encounter these topics is to create a class contract outlining guidelines for a respectful, reflective classroom discussion.

Creating Classroom Contracts

One way to help classroom communities establish shared norms is by discussing them openly through a process called “contracting.” Some teachers already customarily create classroom contracts with their students at the start of each course. If you do not typically do so, we recommend that before beginning your class’s journey through this Facing History unit, you engage the students in the process of creating one. Contracts typically include several clearly defined rules or expectations for participation, and consequences for those who do not fulfill their obligations as members of the learning community. Any contract created collaboratively by students and the teacher together should be consistent with the classroom rules already established by the teacher. Many Facing History teachers differentiate their own classroom rules, which are non-negotiable, from the guidelines set forth in the classroom contract, which are negotiated by the students with the teacher’s guidance. Some sample guidelines that might be included in a class contract are provided below.

We have also found that the classroom environment is enhanced by emphasizing journal writing and employing multiple formats for facilitating large and small group discussions. Throughout this unit, we suggest specific teaching strategies designed to encourage students’ critical thinking and encourage each of them to share their ideas.

We encourage you to frequently remind your students that, regardless of the classroom strategy you are using or the topic you are addressing, it is essential that their participation honors the contract they helped create and follows your own classroom rules. In addition, we strongly recommend that you post the contract in a prominent location in your classroom and that when students stray from the guidelines set forth in the contract you refer to the specific language in the contract when you redirect to them. You might find that when one student strays from the guidelines of the contract, other students will respond by citing the specific expectations listed in the contract.

Consider the following list of guidelines for your classroom contract. As you work together to create your own, we encourage you to include (or modify) any or all of the items on this list:

• Listen with respect. Try to understand what someone is saying before rushing to judgment.
• Make comments using “I” statements. (“I disagree with what you said. Here’s what I think . . .”)
• If you do not feel safe making a comment or asking a question, write the thought down. You can ask the teacher after class to help you find a safe way to share the idea.
• If someone says an idea or question that helps your own learning, say “thank you.”
• If someone says something that hurts or offends you, do not attack the person. Acknowledge that the comment—not the person—hurt your feeling and explain why.
• Put-downs are never okay.
• If you don’t understand something, ask a question.
• Think with your head and your heart.
• Share talking time—provide room for others to speak.
• Do not interrupt others while they are speaking.
• Write down thoughts, in a journal or notebook, if you don’t have time to say them during our time together.

Dehumanizing Language

Harper Lee includes the the "N" word deliberately to illustrate the society she writes about. Therefore, when quoting the text of To Kill a Mockingbird and in the historical documents included in this guide, we have chosen to let the word remain as it originally appeared, without any substitution. The dehumanizing power of this term and the ease with which some Americans have used it to describe their fellow human beings is central to understanding the themes of identity and human behavior at the heart of the book.

It is very difficult to use and discuss the "N" word in the classroom, but its presence in the novel makes it necessary to acknowledge it and set guidelines for students about whether or not to pronounce it when reading aloud or quoting from the text. Otherwise, this word’s presence might distract students from an open discussion about characters and themes. We recommend the following articles to help you determine how to approach the term in your classroom:

• “Exploring the Controversy: The ‘N’ Word” from Huck Finn in Context: A Teaching Guide (PBS)
• “Straight Talk about the N-Word” from Learning for Justice (Southern Poverty Law Center)
• “In Defense of a Loaded Word” by Ta-Nehisi Coates (New York Times)

You may also wish to point out the use of the word “negro” in the novel. In earlier times, this was an acceptable term for referring to African Americans. While not offensive in the past, today the term “negro” is outdated and inappropriate unless one is reading aloud directly from a historical document or work of literature.

Accusations of Rape

Accusations of rape play a central role in both the story of To Kill a Mockingbird and the history of the Scottsboro Boys, which is included in this guide. While explicit depictions of rape do not appear, the accusations in these stories may simultaneously be difficult to understand for some students and all too real for others.

Discussions of rape are complicated in relation to To Kill a Mockingbird and the Scottsboro Boys because both of these stories involve false accusations that play into racial fear and hatred. Experts tell us that most accusations of rape are not false. There is material provided later in this guide to help explore the beliefs and stereotypes that led to the false accusations students will learn about.

It is possible that some students will have additional questions or comments on the topic of rape outside of the context of the book. It is important to preview how you might respond to such questions and comments in case they arise. If they do, make sure to return to the class contract you have established with students to guide any discussion that follows. You might also consider alerting your building administrator to the fact that the topic of rape—critical in the analysis of the novel—might be brought up in your class in case any concerns about the discussion arise in the broader school community

• Link Exploring the Controversy: The ‘N’ Word
• Link Straight Talk about the N-Word
• Link In Defense of a Loaded Word

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Inside this collection, explore the resources, teaching mockingbird media and readings, moral growth: a framework for character analysis, maycomb's ways: setting as moral universe, scout as narrator: the impact of point of view, you might also be interested in…, current events in the classroom, media and strategies for teaching farewell to manzanar, identity and storytelling, three good things, slow down with the slowdown, take a stand, appreciation, apology, aha, closing challenge, unlimited access to learning. more added every month..

Facing History & Ourselves is designed for educators who want to help students explore identity, think critically, grow emotionally, act ethically, and participate in civic life. It’s hard work, so we’ve developed some go-to professional learning opportunities to help you along the way.

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Lesson Plan To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective

Students gain a sense of the living history that surrounds the novel  To Kill a Mockingbird . Through studying primary source materials from the Library's digital collections  and other online resources, students of all backgrounds may better grasp how historical events and human forces have shaped relationships between black and white, and rich and poor cultures of our country.

This unit guides students on a journey through the Depression Era in the 1930s. Activities familiarize the students with Southern experiences through the study of the novel and African American experiences through the examination of primary sources.

Students will be able to:

• learn about the history of African Americans in the South through analysis of historical and literary primary source photographs and documents;
• demonstrate visual literacy skills;
• master research skills necessary to use Library of Congress digital collections;
• distinguish points of view in several types of primary sources;
• demonstrate the technique of recording oral histories; and
• write creative works that reflect the themes of racism, compassion, and tolerance in  To Kill a Mockingbird .

Time Required

Four to five weeks

Lesson Preparation

• Primary Source Analysis Tool

Optional Timeline Activity

At any time during the study of  To Kill a Mockingbird , the creation of a timeline can enhance students’ understanding of the story’s sequence of events. In addition, whenever historical events and people are referenced in the text of  To Kill a Mockingbird , the timeline gives students an opportunity to physically organize that information.

The timeline can span the years from 1890 to 2000. It should be large enough to be seen from any part of the room. For our purposes, the timeline was oriented horizontally across the front of the room, divided into decades, and color-coded so that literary happenings could be distinguished from historical events.

• During the portion of the book that recounts Tom Robinson’s wait for his trial and the formation of a mob outside the jail, the timeline is especially effective for demonstrating to students how pervasive and longstanding the record of violence against African-Americans has been.

Students should go to the home page of  African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection  and enter the Timeline of African American History, 1852-1925 for  1881-1900  and  1901-1925 .

Ask students to note the number of lynchings that take place during those years on black cards with white tags and attach them to the timeline. When the students have attached all the black cards to the timeline, ask them to calculate the total number of lynchings that took place between 1880 and 1925. Ask students how the crime of lynching relates to the story and how it impacts Tom Robinson.

• African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection
• Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives
• Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Color Photographs
• American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940
• Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years
• Explore Your Community: A Community Heritage Poster for the Classroom
• Teachers Guide to  Analyzing Photographs and Prints

Lesson Procedure

I - historical understanding of setting (2 days).

1. Students view photographs from  Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives . (Students should be given time to browse this collection, then select one photo for careful analysis.)

• They should search for: Selma, Alabama Eutaw, Alabama Greensboro, Alabama
• After browsing through these images, students should select one photo for careful analysis. Students analyze the photograph, recording their thoughts on the  Primary Source Analysis Tool . Before the students begin, select questions from the teacher’s guide  Analyzing Photographs and Prints  to focus and prompt analysis and discussion. If time allows, students should browse some of the other photographs in this collection.

2. The Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress also has a collection of images entitled " Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination: Documentation by Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information ." Ask students to read the information explaining the nature of the photo collection then review the photographs. They should select one. Students analyze the photograph, recording their thoughts on the  Primary Source Analysis Tool . Before the students begin, select questions from the teacher’s guide  Analyzing Photographs and Prints  to focus and prompt analysis and discussion.

II - Exploring Oral History (3 days)

• Ask an oral historian to speak to the class on the value of oral history as a research tool and as a vehicle for passing history from one generation to the next.
• Review with students the concepts of open and closed questions and what kinds of questions best serve the oral historian. Note:   Explore Your Community: A Community Heritage Poster for the Classroom , by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, has pointers for conducting oral history interviews.
• Take the students online to  American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940  and read about the collection. Begin with the  Introduction .
• Download and print " I's Weak an' Weary " from  American Life Histories, 1936-1940 . The class should read this document and determine voice, time, and place.
• " Amy Chapman's Funeral "
• " Looking Around With a Hay Farmer "
• " Sallie Smith "
• " The Story of Katy Brumby "
• " Terrapin Dogs "
• From the oral histories reviewed, ask students to create an original work, either a found poem or an interpretive reading, from the materials they have reviewed. They may use one or a combination of readings. They must capture the voice of the selection and perform their original material in an open mike setting.

III - Writing Connection (1 day)

Students create a "Town Poem" from their observations of the photographs in Lesson II.

Directions for students:

Create an imaginary town based on the photographs you viewed from the Library of Congress collections.

• Take emotional possession of the town.
• Rely on your impressions and your subjective observations.
• Let your imagination give each person, building, object its own story.
• List assumptions, hunches, observations and feelings.
• What are the town secrets?
• What is the mood or tone of the town?
• Write a poem about your town in the second person.
• You have never been to this town, but write as though you have lived there all your life.

IV - Getting into the Novel (3 days)

• After reading the first three chapters of the novel, students should refer back to their notes on the photographs they viewed from  Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives  and " Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination: Documentation by Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information ."
• Review Harper Lee’s descriptions of Maycomb and discuss pictures from the collection that could be scenes from Maycomb.
• Ask students to reflect on the oral histories studied in Activity II and compare the language, colloquial expressions, and the vocabulary unique to the Depression Era and the Deep South to the style and dialogue in  To Kill a Mockingbird.
• Ask students to identify examples of discrimination against Arthur Radley.
• Draw contrasts and parallels between that discrimination and the discrimination directed toward African Americans in earlier readings.
• Begin a list of the foreshadowings of racial tension that will grip Maycomb during the Tom Robinson trial.

V - Mob Justice (4-5 days)

• Read Chapter 15 of  To Kill a Mockingbird

Clippings from Some of our Leading Southern Papers

NOTE: This is an excerpt. The full text of  A sermon on lynch law and raping : preached by Rev. E.K. Love, D.D., at 1st. African Baptist Church, Savannah, Ga., of which he is pastor, November 5th, 1893  can be found in  African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection

Excerpt begins ...

{Begin page no. 13}

CLIPPINGS FROM SOME OF OUR LEADING SOUTHERN PAPERS.

"At first lynch law was only resorted to as a punishment for felonious outrages upon women. But the spirit of lawlessness never stands still. Give it an inch and it will take a mile. The men who delight in lynching have grown bolder, and they now murder the kinsmen of a criminal who refuse to reveal his hiding place, and whip a woman for the crime of being true to her religious convictions, and burn gin houses because their owners will not hold their cotton until the price reaches ten cents. All this would indicate that our civilization is only skin deep. There is an inexhaustible layer of barbarism just under the surface, and a mere scratch reveals it.-- Atlanta Constitution.

"Mob law is breeding a race of savages. The young men and boys who engage in this bloody business will as surely grow up to be blood thirsty and cruel as the tiger will become a man eater after tasting human blood. Unless these scenes shall end and the rule of law be restored, the mob will drive all the better class of people from the South and give it over to outlawry and ignorance. The evil has progressed so far that none but a blind man can be insensible to the enormity of the peril that hangs like a black cloud over the Southern States. The prevailing conditions are surely tending to a crisis of blood and horror. The earnest, thoughtful, and patriotic men of the South must give themselves to the work of redemption as to a task appointed of God and blessed with His benediction. -- Memphis Daily Commercial

The Roanoke Times denies that Roanoke, during the recent popular outbreak against the lawful authorities was a mobbed-ruled city, and characterizes the statement of the Index-Appeal , and other papers to that effect as false.

The Times should be more careful in the choice of its language at a time when it has everything to palliate and nothing to gain by controversy. Its attempted vindication is neither ingenious nor ingenuous. If a city is not mob-ruled when a mob takes a prisoner from the lawful authorities, and hangs and burns him, and then creates a state of terror, such as to cause officials and other persons to seek safety in

{Begin page no. 14}

flight and concealment, in the name of common sense when is a city mob-ruled and what is mob-rule?-- Petersburg, (Va.) Daily Index Appeal

It will not do to say that such cases of violence are due to any fear that justice will not be done. There was no question that these two murderers, if caught, would be tried speedily and punished justly. But that was not what the mob wanted. They wanted the sight of blood. It was the instinct of cruelty which actuated them. They were not civilized much less were they Christian people. They were savages, barbarians! We talk of Kurdish atrocities, of African cannibalism, of Indian tortures, but nothing more atrocious or horrible is enacted anywhere by any savages on the face of the earth. Are we a nation of barbarians?-- New York Independent

"We do not believe that there is any section of the South, however small, where mob law is endorsed by public sentiment; and yet the men who make up murderous mobs go unpunished. Law-abiding men are in the majority everywhere, and yet they permit the lawless to defy the authorities and treat the State with contempt. Why is this the case? The reason is plain and humiliating. Good men are cowards while bad men are aggressive. The good submit with a protest, while the bad run rough shod all over opposition. It is time for southern manhood to wake up. We boast of our chivalry and we have a right to. Our people have a history to be proud of, but every heroic deed of the past but brands with deeper disgrace the howling mobs, who, safe in their numbers, attack and murder defenseless men. If our laws do not punish crime we should mend them. We certainly should not turn over our temples of Justice to men who are unworthy to enter them except to receive punishment for their crime.-- Jacksonville, (Fla.) Daily Times-Union

I confess that as a citizen of the South I feel very much humiliated when I read such as this about my home and these are but a few out of many such things that are being said about the South.

II. Mob violence inexcusable and all matters should be determined in a lawful assembly

There was no need of lynching the Apostles. The Ephesians had everything their own way. The Apostles had, at most, but few friends in Ephesus, and perhaps none, who would interpose for them in a public way. There was scarcely an Ephesian who was not in some way personally interested in the cause to which the Apostles were defendants; hence any jury that might have been selected would have been prejudiced against the defendants, and upon any technical grounds that the law could have been made to sanction, would have brought in a verdict of guilty. They had the privilege of, and they were honor bound to try them by their law. There might have been some excuse for lynching had they been compelled to try them by alien laws. If, as the Jews said to Pilate on the trial if Christ, they could have truthfully said, "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die," then there might have been an excuse for lynching. Lynching could have

{Begin page no. 15}

been and can be defended on no other ground than that punishment by law is impossible. It will not do to say that the provocation is such that the lynchers are justifiable. That dishonors our education, disgraces our civilization, slanders our Christianity, disrespects our law, undermines our government, and declares our people to be a set of ungovernable, ferocious brutes, hinders the development of the greatness of our country and as blind Samson at the festival at Gaza, throws down our temple of liberty upon its votaries.

If when a man is arrested for rape, a mob is raised to rescue him from the clutches of the law, then should a counter mob be raised and kill the wretch rather than have him escape justice, then it would be far more more excusable.

In this country, situated as the Negroes are, a case of lynching is never justifiable. If the woman assaulted is white, there can be no possible escape for the Negroes. The Judge is white, the jury is white, the lawyers are white, the Sheriff is white, the Jailer is white, and as Doctors Broadus and Haygood say, race blood will assert himself,--the Negroes must die. It will not do to say that our people are so weak, vicious, brutal, satanic, and uncivilized that they have no faith in their own laws, which they, themselves, have made, and cannot wait with even enough patience for their courts to convene to try their criminals, that they prefer to stain their hands in human blood in unlawful assemblies. To say this is to admit that it is unsafe to live among us, and that we resort to murdering and the most heartless outrages for amusement; that we determine no trying cases in a lawful assembly; that we respect law so long as it suits us and when we are not mad; but when the trying provocation comes, as Dr. Haygood puts it, we get "insane for the time," and hence it must follow that we are not responsible for our action under this spasm of "insanity."

The Lord only knows how far this "insanity" business will go, and He alone knows to what extent it has and will injure this country and especially our lovely southland, the paradise of the globe. Just how much this "insanity" argument palliates our awful crimes in the eyes of the civilized world, Dr. Haygood is better prepared to say than I am. If these burnings and murders are put on the "insanity" doctrine for a defense, I plead for a house of correction for the many hundreds of spasmodic "insane" people that abound in our favored country. I plead not for the criminals. I have no pity for them. I plead that these matters should be determined in a lawful assembly.

Brute force is a dangerous element in any government. It is destructive to prosperity, happiness, and liberty and is the parent of no good. Every good citizen should discard and unite to exterminate it. The Almighty has ordained that matters of difference should be adjusted in a lawful assembly, that reasonable men should implead reasonable men before reasonable men in a lawful assembly.

The officers of the law are just as much opposed to these crimes as those who compose these lawless mobs. Lynching is as much a violation of the law as raping. There should be a resort to law however atrocious the crime charged may be, as it then would be less likely that the innocent would be killed. It cannot be denied that the lynchers sometimes have killed the wrong man. This could and would have been avoided in a painstaking, lawful assembly. However enraged a people may be at the assault upon a woman, surely they do

{Begin page no. 16}

not want to kill the innocent and this can best be avoided in a lawful assembly.

There can be nothing more horrifying to a refined, honest, fair-minded, law abiding, upright Christian gentleman than the riddling with bullets, hanging and burning of an innocent man, and yet this is possible under a system of lynch law. Indeed I regret to state that this has occurred. The lynchers can hardly justify themselves by saying that the man confessed his crime. He did not do so in a lawful assembly nor in the presence of lawful witnesses. For these men, themselves, were assembled for the purpose of committing an unlawful act. Before the bar of civilized opinion, they stand charged of the foulest murder known to the annals of history, and hence, I gravely doubt that they are competent witnesses.

The great American liberty-loving people will not wait much longer for these outrages to stop. They will arise in their majesty and might and demand a halt to these savage outrages.

The action of these mobs show that they are not after a mere punishment of these crimes, but that they are seeking in the most barbarous manner, revenge. For they hang, shoot and burn. Either one of these deaths is barbarous enough. I think that no tribunal on earth would give sentence for more than one of these at the time and yet our civilized, Christian people give all of them at once. This shows that these men are utterly unprepared to take the law into their hands. If they are justifiable in one case, they would be justifiable in all.

Pushing this argument further to its logical conclusion we would have no need for courts to administer the law, for Legislatures, nor Congress to make laws, and hence every lawful assembly would be destroyed in our country and every man would be a law unto himself and would punish crime as his senseless passion might dictate. Indeed, no man in this country would be safe.

Law is that principle which governs a people and regulates their affairs and promotes their truest. Wise and equitable laws, fairly interpreted and impartially administered, will meet every emergency of a people. Happily for us, we can boast of such laws and there is absolutely no need to over-ride them. Lynch law is a sad reflection upon the courts. The lynchers in effect say that the officers of the law are unreliable; dishonest and cannot be relied on to punish criminals in accordance with their oath. Surely the lynchers will not presume to say that they know more about the law than the officers of the law. I ask, therefore, in all seriousness, what is the objection to the law taking its course? I have yet to see or hear a reasonable excuse for lynching and surely a thing for which not a single reason can be given ought to be abandoned.

III. We are in danger to be called in question for our conduct

Webster says, "Lynch law is the practice of punishing men for crimes or offences, by private, unauthorized persons, without a legal trial. The term is said to be derived from a Virginia Farmer, named Lynch, who thus took the law into his own hands."

Chamber's Encyclopaedia.-"Lynch-law, the name given in the United States of America to the trial and punishment of offenders in popular assemblies without reference to the ordinary laws of the country. This barbarous mode of administering justice has always

{Begin page no. 17}

more or less prevailed in every country in times of great popular excitement, and has been necessarily resorted to in countries newly settled, where the power of the civil government is not yet sufficiently established. The name is derived by Webster from a Virginia farmer; but a more interesting history is found in the story of James Lynch, mayor of galley about 1495, who in the spirit of Brutes with his own hand, hanged his son from a window for murder." JOHN BOUVIER.

"Lynch-law, a common phrase used to express the vengeance of a mob, inflicting an injury and committing an outrage upon a person suspected of some offense."

The lynchers in effect say that our country is newly settled and is not yet sufficiently strong to punish its criminals. The silence and inactivity of our authorities beg the question and in effect say that while they very deeply deplore these outrages, the outlaws being in the majority they are powerless. This is an admission that the vicious, lawless class out number our good citizens. Would not every good citizen blush to admit this? Can our country afford this admission? Does it not hold up our people in an awful light? Is there not obliged to be a reaction which will call us in question for these things? It is not true that the authorities can not find out who commit these crimes. There is scarcely any effort upon the part of the lynchers to conceal their crimes nor themselves. The papers publish detailed accounts of these lynchings and lynchers and all but call their names. How came they by this information? It is bosh to say that the detectives with these clews could not hunt down the guilty parties. In the case where a boy raped a woman in South Carolina it is said that the woman's husband kicked his eyes out and, I think, called his name. If this man had personally encountered this boy and done this, I would starve on a jury before I would bring in a verdict of guilty. But he had a mob and did this. They took him from an officer of the law and killed him, and this was lynch.

The grand jury of Roanoke, Va,. has broken this monstrous monotonous farce of "We, the jury, find that the deceased came to his death by gun- shots in the hands of parties unknown to the jury," and indicted a number of persons and among them, the chief of police. This is a healthy beginning.

The downfall of the Roman Decemvirate was due to outrages and unlawful conduct. Notably among them was the case of Virginia, the daughter of Virginius. This beautiful girl was just blooming into womanhood and was betrothed to Ieilius. Appius Claudius, the Decemvir, lusted after her. He planned to get her. With this view he ordered M. Claudius to seize her and claim her for his slave. The trial would be before him and he had planned to render a decision in favor of M. Claudius with the understanding that he would secretly turn her over to him. She was claimed and seized by this man on her way to school. The trial came before Appius and he decided that she should be delivered to M. Claudius until her father should appear and prove her his daughter. This was to be the next morning. Her father was in the army twenty miles from Rome. Appius sent a secret message to the general in the army not to grant Virginias leave of absence. His friends, meanwhile, had sent him word. When Appius' messenger got to the army Virginius was half way to Rome.

{Begin page no. 18}

The people all knew this was contrary to the law which Appius himself had framed. The people clamored for justice. Icilius and the uncle of the girl argued boldly against the legality of the judgement and Appius fearing a tumult among the people, ordered that she be left in their hands upon the condition that they give bail to bring her before him the next morning and that if her father did not appear he would give her to her pretended master. His intention was to get him away. Virginius seeing Appius' intention, asked to be allowed to take the girl aside to inquire closely of her if he was her father, that if he was not he could bear her loss more easily. This was granted and he took her off a piece, snatched up a butcher's knife and said to her "by this means only can I keep thee free," and stabbed her to her heart. He returned waving the bloody knife Appius ordered him arrested, but the people were in sympathy with Virginius and made way for his escape. He returned to the army, told his story and immediately the soldiers left their Decemviral generals and marched to Rome. The city was surrounded by them; the senate was immediately called and appointed a committee to negotiate terms of peace with the Plebeians.

The Plebeians demanded 1st. That the Tribunalship should be restored and the Comitia Tributa recognized. 2nd. That the right of appeal to the people against the power of the supreme magistrate should be secured. 3rd. That full indemnity should be granted to the movers and promoters of the late secession. 4th. That the decemvirs should be burned alive.

The senate committee agreed to all but the fourth. They said that was unworthy of a free people. That it was a piece of tyranny as bad as the worst acts of the late government. That it was needless because if any one had any reason of complaint against the late Decemvirs, they might proceed against them according to law. The wisdom of these words had the desired effect and the Plebeians withdrew their fourth demand. This is exactly my contention. I do not deny that a great crime has been committed nor that it should not be punished by death, but that we should proceed according to law. It will be seen that this violation of law and the blood of Virginia overthrew the Decemvirate of Rome. The Tribunalship was established and Virginius was elected on of the Tribunes. He singled out Appius and had him put in prison and refused him bail unless he could prove that he did not assign Virginia to be a slave until she proved that she was free. This was impossible and he was thrown into prison where he killed himself. Then followed the execution of Oppius and when others were about to be executed M. Duillius came forward and said "Enough has been done to vindicate justice and to uphold freedom. Further punishment would bear the semblance of revenge and make it much more difficult to reconcile the two parties." I submit that enough of this unlawful and inhumane murdering has been done to vindicate the pride and morality of the South. Enough has been done to show that rape has aroused the indignation of a chivalrous. Virtue-loving people. Enough has been done to vindicate outraged justice. O, that a Duillius would appear at this terrible crisis to utter such words of wisdom. We are willing to bury the past and hope for the future because God knows that enough of this bloody work has been done. What it has not vindicated it cannot vindicate.

{Begin page no. 19}

What it has not accomplished it cannot accomplish. The terror it has not excited it cannot excite. It is enough of that kind of business and I pray you, my countrymen, in God's name, to stop and stop now.

When Appius planned this outrageous, unlawful course with Virginia, he did not dream that he would be called in question for it. The entire Decemviral body was called in question for their conduct and paid for it dearly. Alexander, Caesar, Nebuchadnezzer, Belshazzar, Antiochus, the Maccabees, Herod and a host of others too numerous to mention were called in question for their conduct. This country has been called in question for traffic in human slavery. When the slaves were not profitable at the North, the North shipped the slaves to the South, and later on the North endeavored to shift the responsibility to the South. But when the day of retribution came, the North in common with the South was called in question for this sin and both sacrificed much property, millions of dollars, and the blood and lives of hundreds of thousands of as noble men as any country ever produced. It was an awful calling in question. It was a bloody answering. This country has not yet fully recovered from that terrible judgment. I tell you, my friends, a just God lives and presides over the destiny of nations, and we are in danger to be called in question for these days of uproar. May the mighty God of Jacob pity our nation and a loving heaven smile gently on our country for Jesus' sake. AMEN.

... Excerpt ends.

• How are Love's comments on mob behavior reflected in Tom Robinson’s experience?

The Blood Red Record

NOTE: This is an excerpt. The full text of  The blood red record : review of the horrible lynchings and burning of Negroes by civilized white men in the United States : as taken from the records : with comments by John Edward Bruce ...  can be found in  African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection

{Begin page no. 7}

According to the Chicago Tribune, which kept a daily record of lynchings for the year 1900, 117 persons were lynched, of whom only eighteen were charged with rape--the only crime which white men at the South say for which Negroes are lynched. The Chicago Conservator, another influential newspaper, has rearranged the record given by the Tribune in the following order:

Charge of Murder. January 9, Henry Giveney, Ripley, Tenn. January 9, Roger Giveney, Ripley, Tenn. March 11, Unknown Negro, Jennings, Neb. March 24, Walter Cotton Emporia, Va. March 27, William Edward, Deer Creek Bridge, Miss. April 16, Moses York, near Tunica, Miss. April 28, Mindee Chowgee, Marshall, Mo. May 4, Marshall Jones, Douglas, Ga. May 13, Alexander Whitney, Harlem, Ga. May 14, William Willis, Grovetown, Ga. May 14, Unknown Negro, Brooksville, Fla. May 14, Unknown Negro, Brooksville, Fla. May 22, Calvin Hilburn, Pueblo, Colorado. June 10, Unknown Negro, Snead, Fla. June 17, Nat Mullins, Earl, Ark. June 21, Robert Davis, Mulberry, Fla. July 12, John Jennings, Creswell, Ga. July 26, Robert Charles, New Orleans, La. September 11, Unknown Negro, Forest City, N.C.

{Begin page no. 8}

September 11, Thomas J. Amos, Cheneyville, La. September 7, Frank Brown, Tunica, Miss. September 14, David Moore, Tunica, Miss. September 14, William Brown, Tunica, Miss. October 9, Wiley Johnson, Baton Rouge, La. October 23, Gloster Barnes, near Vicksburg, Miss. November 16, Preston Porter, Lymon, Col. December 16, Bud Rowland, Rockford, Ind. December 16, Thomas Henderson, Rockford, Ind. December 19, Unknown Negro, Arcadia, Miss. December 20,--Lewis, Gulf Port, Miss.

Plot to Kill Whites. April 22, John Hughley, Allentown, Fla.

Suspected Robbery.  June 17, S.A. Jenkins, Searcy, Ark.

Rape. June 5, W.W. Watts, Newport News, Va. March 4, George Ratliffe, Clyde, N.C. March 10, Thomas Clayton, Hernando, Miss. March 26, Lewis Harris, Belair, Md. April 3, Allen Brooks, Berryville, Ga. April 20, John Peters, Tazewell, W. Va. May 4, Henry Darley, Liberty, Md. May 7, Unknown Negro, Geneva, Ala. June 3, Dago Pete, Tutwiler, Miss. June 23, Frank Gilmore, Livingstone Parish, La. July 23, Elijah Clark, Huntsville, Ala. July 24, Jack Hillsman, Knoxville, Ga. August 13, Jack Betts, Corinth, Miss. August 19, Unknown Negro, Arrington, Va. August 26, Unknown Negro, S. Pittsburg, Tenn. October 19, Frank Hardeneman, Wellaston, Ga.

{Begin page no. 9}

December 8, Daniel Long, Wythe county, Va. December 21, Unknown Negro, Arkadelphia, Ark.

Attempted Assault. March 18, John Bailey, Marietta, Ga. March 18, Charles Humphries, Lee county, Ala. April 19, Henry McAfee, Brownsville, Miss. May 11, William Lee, Hinton, W. Va. May 15, Henry Harris, Lena, La. June 9, Simon Adams, near Columbia, Ga. June 11, Senny Jefferson, Metcalf, Ga. June 27, Jock Thomas, Live Oak, Fla. July 6, John Roe, Columbia, Ala. September 10, Logan Reoms, Duplex, Tenn. September 12, Zed Floyd, Wetumpka, Kan. October 2, Winfield Thomas, Eclectic, Ala. October 18, Fratur Warfield, Elkton, Ky.

Race Prejudice.  July 25, Unknown Negro, New Orleans, La. July 25, August Thomas, New Orleans, La. July 25, Baptiste Fileau, New Orleans, La. July 25, Louis Taylor, New Orleans, La. July 25, Anna Mabry, New Orleans, La. July 25, Unknown Negro, New Orleans, La. July 25, Silas Jackson, New Orleans, La. October 24, James Suer, Liberty Hill, Ga. October 24, James Calaway, Liberty Hill, Ga.

Giving Testimony. March 23, Luis Rice, Ripley, Tenn.

Attacking a White Man. May 1, Henry Ratcliff, Gloucester, Miss. May 1, George Gordon, Albin, Miss. September 8, Grant Weley, Thomasville, Ga.

{Begin page no. 10}

Suspicion of Murder. June 10, Askew, Mississippi City, Miss. June 10, Reese, Mississippi City, Miss.

Complicity of Murder. June 10, John Sanders, Snead, Fla. December 17, John Rolla, Booneville, Ind.

Unknown Offenses. June 27, Jordan Hines, Molina, Ga. June 20, James Barco, Panasoffkee, Fla.

No Offense. May 7, Unknown Negro, Amite, Miss.

Arson. April 5, Unknown Negro, Southampton county, Va. December 28, George Faller, Marion, Ga.

Suspicion of Arson. January 11, Rufus Salter, West Spring, S.C. Aiding Escape of Murderers. January 16, Anderson Gause, Henning, Tenn.

Unpopularity. July 9, Jefferson Henry, Greene's Bayou, La.

Making Threats. March 4, James Crosby, Selo Hatchel, Ala. June 12, Seth Cobb Deyall's Bluffs, La.

Informer. March 22, George Ritter, Canhaft, N.C.

{Begin page no. 11}

Robbing. May 26, Unknown Negro, West Point, Ark. October 8,--Williams, Tiponville, Tenn.

Burglary. September 21, George Bickham, Ponchatoula, La. September 21, Charles Elliott, Ponchatoula, La. September 21, Nathaniel Bowman, Ponchatoula, La. September 11, Charles Elliot, Ponchatoula, La. September 21, Isaiah Rollins, Ponchatoula, La.

Attempt to Murder. June 12, John Brodie, Lee county, Ark. November 15, Unknown Negro, Jefferson, Texas. November 15, Unknown Negro, Jefferson, Texas. November 15, Unknown Negro, Jefferson, Texas.

Threats to Kill. February 17, William Burts, Basket Mills, S.C.

Assault. May 16, Samuel Hinson, Cushtusha, Miss. October 30,--Abernathy, Duke, Ala.

It should be borne in mind that this list represents the number of Negroes  killed  by mobs of white men for  alleged  crimes,  and not by any legal process of law , which a white man charged with crime would demand as his right under the Constitution. Trial by jury is never denied any white criminal, even though he should  assassinate  the President of the United States. The disposition to be fair to white men who go wrong, even when they steal $620,000, or when, like brute beasts, three or four of them unite in outraging a helpless mill girl, and after violating her person murder her--is an American characteristic. The Alvord defalcation and the Paterson scandal are cases in point. Has any Negro, living or dead, committed

{Begin page no. 12}

a greater robbery than Alvord, or a more fiendish, brutal or cowardly murder, combined with rape, than the young white men at Paterson, N.J., who have recently been convicted by a jury of their peers for the outrage upon and murder of Jennie Bosschieter? Have any of the Negroes who have been lynched and roasted by white mobs in various parts of the country, North and South, had the advantages of social culture and refinement--of educating themselves and improving their opportunities that were possessed by either Alvord or the four highly-respectable young white men who have just been convicted of the brutal crimes charged against them? We do not offer in extenuation of crime the ignorance of Negroes who commit crime. Nor do we seek to palliate or condone their offenses against society and against the law of the land. We have merely referred to these cases to show that crimes of the character described are not confined to a particular race or class that the educated and refined criminal can be more brutal and vicious than the ignorant criminal, or, at least, equally so. He has the advantage of the ignorant man in mental resources and low cunning, and when once the sleeping devil within him is aroused he is just as human, just as fiendish and blood-thirsty as the most depraved criminal that ever expiated his crime on the gallows or suffered martyrdom at the hands of a civilized and christianized mob of the best citizens.

• Students should discuss how this article emphasizes the danger that Tom is in and the hopelessness of his case.
• At any time during the study of  To Kill a Mockingbird ,  creating a timeline  can enhance students’ understanding of the story’s sequence of events. In addition, the timeline gives students an opportunity to physically organize historical events and people mentioned in the novel.
• The timeline can span from 1890 to 2000. It should be large enough to be seen from any part of the room. For our purposes, our timeline was positioned horizontally across the front of the room, divided into decades, and color-coded so that literary happenings could be distinguished from historical events.
• Students should use  African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection  and enter the Timeline of African American History, 1852-1925 for  1881-1900  and  1901-1925 .
• Ask students to note the number of lynchings that occur during those years on black cards with white tags and attach them to the timeline. When the students have attached all the cards to the timeline, ask them to calculate the total number of lynchings that took place between 1880 and 1925. Ask students how the crime of lynching relates to the story and how it affects Tom Robinson.
• What is her position on the issue of lynching?
• What is the tone of her letter?
• What words or phrases strengthen her argument?
• If their letter is in response to one of these historical documents, they should assume the writing style and tone of that specific time period.

VI - Pulling it all Together

Students should complete one or more of the following activities:

• Newsletter Create a newsletter covering the trial of Tom Robinson, prepared by students in small groups. The newsletter should chronicle the events of the Robinson trial as well as cover related articles on similar issues of actual occurrences during the same time period.
• Oral History Interview Observe an oral history interview of a member of their community conducted by an experienced oral historian. After the interview the students can write an account of the interview. (This exercise prepares the students to launch into a research project in which they will be taking oral histories of community members.) The power of  To Kill a Mockingbird  has much to do with the authentic voice and simple honesty of its narrator.  As a culmination to the study of this novel, it is helpful for students to realize that the intolerance described by Scout exists in every community and in every era. Consider whether there are people in your community who have experienced prejudice during their lifetime. Look for individuals with an historical perspective on social attitudes and behaviors regarding prejudice. Invite them to take part in an oral history interview conducted in front of the class and ask their permission to tape the interview. Prior to the oral history interview date, arrange for someone who has a background in oral history to explain the interview process to the students and to help generate questions for the interview. The day of the interview make both an audio and video recording of the interview. Leave time for students to ask the community member any follow up questions that arose while they listened to the interview. If you plan to retain the tapes for future viewing or for creative writing opportunities, be sure to obtain written permission from the interviewee.

Lesson Evaluation

Student evaluation may be based on:

• response to oral history interview
• An objective test on the novel; and
• Active participation in all class discussions.

Kathleen Prody & Nicolet Whearty

To Kill a Mockingbird Research Paper Topics

To Kill a Mockingbird research paper topics are immensely important as they enable students to explore the deeper themes and implications embedded in the novel. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless masterpiece that has shaped modern perspectives on justice, morality, and racial equality. This literary classic offers a plethora of topics for research and analysis, ranging from character development and narrative techniques to societal norms and philosophical undertones. Engaging with these topics will not only help students develop a thorough understanding of the novel but also encourage them to reflect on its relevance in contemporary society.

100  To Kill a Mockingbird Research Paper Topics

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is not just a novel, it is a study of societal norms, justice, racial inequality, and the coming of age of a young girl. The To Kill a Mockingbird research paper topics provided here, will explore the significance of the novel in literature and society. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a hallmark of modern American literature that offers an array of topics that one can delve into and analyze in research papers.

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• The theme of racial injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The theme of moral growth and development in To Kill a Mockingbird
• Childhood innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The theme of gender inequality in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of societal norms in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The theme of empathy and compassion in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The theme of family and parenting in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of community in shaping character in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The theme of courage in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The theme of loneliness and isolation in To Kill a Mockingbird

Character Analysis

• Atticus Finch as a moral hero in To Kill a Mockingbird
• Scout Finch’s development throughout To Kill a Mockingbird
• The character of Calpurnia in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The character of Tom Robinson and its significance in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The character of Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The character of Miss Maudie Atkinson in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The character of Aunt Alexandra in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of Mr. Dolphus Raymond in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The symbolism of the mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the Radley House in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The symbolism of the camellias in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The importance of the courtroom in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of Scout’s ham costume in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The symbolism of the dog in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the title, To Kill a Mockingbird
• The symbolism of childhood innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The importance of the tree in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The symbolism of the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird

Societal Context

• The role of racism in the 1930s American South depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of the Great Depression in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The depiction of gender roles in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of the legal system in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The depiction of class struggle in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of childhood in the 1930s American South in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The depiction of family dynamics in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of community values in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The depiction of education in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of religion in To Kill a Mockingbird

Author’s Biography

• The influence of Harper Lee’s life on To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of Harper Lee’s upbringing in the American South
• The influence of Harper Lee’s childhood friend, Truman Capote, on the novel
• Harper Lee’s reasons for writing To Kill a Mockingbird
• The impact of To Kill a Mockingbird on Harper Lee’s life and career
• The reasons for Harper Lee’s long silence after the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird
• The influence of Harper Lee’s legal background on the novel
• The significance of the novel’s setting in Harper Lee’s hometown
• The reasons for the novel’s instant success and enduring popularity
• Harper Lee’s influence on the Civil Rights Movement

Literary Devices

• The use of narrative perspective in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The use of foreshadowing in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of irony in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The use of imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of metaphors in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The use of dialogue in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of motifs in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The use of contrast in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The role of conflict in To Kill a Mockingbird

Narrative Structure

• The significance of the novel’s chronological structure
• The role of flashback in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the novel’s first-person narrative
• The role of the narrator in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the novel’s title as a metaphor for the entire story
• The role of subplots in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the novel’s ending
• The role of setting in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the novel’s opening scene
• The role of minor characters in To Kill a Mockingbird

Adaptations

• The impact of the 1962 film adaptation on the perception of To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the casting choices in the 1962 film adaptation
• The impact of the stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird
• The significance of the changes made in the film adaptation compared to the novel
• The impact of the novel’s adaptation into a graphic novel
• The significance of the novel’s adaptation into a play by Aaron Sorkin
• The impact of the novel on popular culture
• The significance of the novel’s adaptation into various educational materials
• The impact of the novel’s adaptation into an opera
• The significance of the novel’s adaptation into a ballet

Psychological Analysis

• The psychological development of Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The psychological impact of racism on the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The psychological motives behind Atticus Finch’s actions in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The psychological impact of the trial on the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The psychological development of Jem Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The psychological motives behind Bob Ewell’s actions in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The psychological impact of Boo Radley’s isolation on his character
• The psychological motives behind Mayella Ewell’s actions in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The psychological impact of the community’s actions on Scout and Jem
• The psychological motives behind Tom Robinson’s actions in To Kill a Mockingbird

Philosophical Interpretations

• The exploration of justice and morality in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of empathy and compassion in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The exploration of the nature of innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of courage and heroism in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The exploration of the nature of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of the struggle between individual conscience and societal norms in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The exploration of the concept of family in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of the nature of love and friendship in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The exploration of the concept of community in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The portrayal of the nature of evil in To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless piece that contains layers of intricate themes and characters that are reflective of the society it was set in and, sadly, still reflective of some issues we face today. Choosing a To Kill a Mockingbird research paper topic from this comprehensive list will enable you to explore the novel in depth. It is important to engage with this novel not just as a piece of literature, but also as a critical analysis of a society that, in many ways, still exists today. This list of To Kill a Mockingbird research paper topics is meant to help students explore the complex layers of the novel and to inspire thoughtful analysis and discussion.

To Kill a Mockingbird

And the range of research paper topics it offers.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that has captivated readers for generations. Published in 1960, this timeless classic explores themes of racial inequality, moral growth, and compassion in the American South during the 1930s. The novel’s nuanced depiction of its characters and the societal issues they face makes To Kill a Mockingbird a rich source of research paper topics. This article will discuss the novel’s significance in literature and the diverse range of research paper topics it offers by delving into its themes, characters, and the author’s intentions.

To Kill a Mockingbird deals with several key themes, making it a rich source of research topics.

Racial Inequality:

The novel is set in a time and place where racial discrimination was rampant. The character of Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman, and the prejudice he faces, is a stark depiction of the racial injustice prevalent in society. Research topics in this area can explore the portrayal of racial bias in the legal system, the societal attitudes towards black people, and the novel’s relevance in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Moral Growth:

The novel follows the moral growth of Scout Finch, the narrator, and her brother Jem, as they navigate the complexities of their community. Their father, Atticus Finch, serves as a moral compass, teaching them the importance of empathy and understanding. Research topics can delve into the ways in which the characters’ moral beliefs evolve throughout the novel, the role of parenting in moral development, and the novel’s message about the importance of empathy.

Compassion:

Compassion is another important theme in To Kill a Mockingbird . Atticus teaches his children to consider other people’s perspectives and to show kindness even when it is difficult. Research topics can explore the depiction of compassion in the novel, its importance in society, and the lessons it offers for contemporary readers.

The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird are multidimensional and complex, providing a rich source of analysis for research papers.

Scout Finch:

As the narrator and protagonist, Scout’s perspective shapes the novel. Her innocence and curiosity about the world around her provide a lens through which the reader can understand the complexities of Maycomb society. Research topics can explore Scout’s development throughout the novel, her relationship with her father, and her understanding of the societal issues she encounters.

Atticus Finch:

Atticus is a central character in the novel, serving as a moral beacon for his children and the community. His belief in justice and equality, despite the prejudice he faces, make him a compelling character for analysis. Research topics can explore Atticus’s role as a father, his approach to the legal system, and his impact on the novel’s themes.

Boo Radley:

Boo Radley is a mysterious figure whose true nature is revealed towards the end of the novel. His character challenges the reader’s perceptions and provides an opportunity to explore themes of isolation, prejudice, and compassion. Research topics can delve into the myths surrounding Boo Radley, his role in the novel, and the lessons his character offers.

Author’s Intentions

Harper Lee’s intentions in writing To Kill a Mockingbird can be explored through the novel’s themes, characters, and the historical context in which it was written. The novel was published at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, a time when racial tensions were high in the United States. Lee’s depiction of racial inequality, moral growth, and compassion can be seen as a response to the issues of her time. Research topics can explore the influence of the Civil Rights Movement on the novel, Harper Lee’s personal experiences and how they shaped the novel, and the impact of To Kill a Mockingbird on society.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that continues to be relevant more than 60 years after its publication. Its exploration of important themes, its complex characters, and the intentions of its author make it a rich source of research paper topics. Whether delving into the societal issues depicted in the novel, analyzing its characters, or exploring Harper Lee’s intentions, To Kill a Mockingbird offers a diverse range of topics for thoughtful analysis and discussion. Ultimately, To Kill a Mockingbird challenges its readers to consider the complexities of the human experience and to strive for a more just and compassionate society.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is the rare American novel that can be discovered with excitement in adolescence and reread into adulthood without fear of disappointment. Few novels so appealingly evoke the daily world of childhood in a way that seems convincing whether you are 16 or 66.

"Writing is a process of self-discipline you must learn before you can call yourself a writer. There are people who write, but I think they're quite different from people who must write." —from a 1964 interview

More Details about the Book

Introduction to the book.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird begins at the end. The novel opens with the adult Jean Louise "Scout" Finch writing, "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow." By the time Jem finally gets around to breaking his arm more than 250 pages later most readers will have forgotten they were ever warned. This echoes the way the whole book unfolds—in no special hurry, with lifelike indirection. Nothing happens all by itself. The book's two plots inch forward along parallel tracks, only converging near the end.

The first plot revolves around Arthur "Boo" Radley, who lives in a shuttered house down the street from the Finches and is rumored to be some kind of monster. Scout, Jem, and their next-door neighbor Dill engage in pranks, trying to make Boo show himself. Unexpectedly, Boo reciprocates their interest with a series of small gifts, until he ultimately steps off his porch and into their lives when they need him most.

The second story concerns Scout and Jem's father, the attorney Atticus Finch. The local judge appoints him to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. Atticus suspects he will lose the case, but he faces up to the challenge just the same, at one point heroically stepping between his client and a lynch mob.

Along with its twin plot lines, To Kill a Mockingbird has two broad themes: tolerance and justice. Lee treats the first through the children's fear of their mysterious neighbor. She illustrates the second with Atticus's courage in defending Robinson to the best of his ability, despite the racial prejudices of their small Southern town.

Tying the stories together is a simple but profound piece of advice Atticus gives Scout: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." By the end of the novel, Scout has done exactly that—guessed at the pain not only beneath Tom Robinson's skin, but also under that of her neighbor.

How the Novel Came to Be Written

Any claims for To Kill a Mockingbird as a book that changed history could not have seemed more far-fetched one winter night in 1958, as Nelle Harper Lee huddled in her outer-borough New York apartment trying to finesse her unruly, episodic manuscript into some semblance of a cohesive novel. All but drowning in multiple drafts of the same material, Lee suddenly threw open a window and scattered five years of work onto the dirty snow below.

Did Lee really intend to destroy To Kill a Mockingbird ? We'll never know. Fortunately, in the next moment, she called her editor. J.B. Lippincott's formidable Tay Hohoff promptly sent her outside to gather all the pages back–thus rescuing To Kill a Mockingbird from the slush.

The novel had its origins in Lee's hometown of Monroeville, Alabama—the small, Southern town that the fictional Maycomb is based upon. Her father's unsuccessful defense of a black man and his son accused of murder, in addition to the Scottsboro Boys trials and another notorious interracial rape case, helped to shape Lee's budding social conscience and sense of a dramatic story.

Along with his legal practice, Lee's father published and edited the town newspaper. His regard for the written word impacted Lee's sensibility as surely as his respect for the law. Lee would name her idealized vision of her father after Titus Pomponius Atticus, a friend of the Roman orator Cicero renowned as, according to Lee, "a wise, learned and humane man." For a long time, Lee called her work in progress Atticus. Once she fastened on To Kill a Mockingbird she did not look back.

An early version of the novel, titled Go Set a Watchman , featured Scout as an adult returning to Maycomb. Lee’s editor, Tay Hohoff, asked her to rewrite the story from a child’s perspective, which she did. Until recently, the manuscript for Go Set a Watchman was believed lost. It was discovered decades later and published by HarperCollins in July 2015.

Lippincott finally published To Kill a Mockingbird on July 11, 1960, by which time an unprecedented four national mail-order book clubs had already selected it for their readers. The first line of the Washington Post 's review echoed many similar notices that praised the novel for its moral impact: "A hundred pounds of sermons on tolerance, or an equal measure of invective deploring the lack of it, will weigh far less in the scale of enlightenment than a mere 18 ounces of new fiction bearing the title To Kill a Mockingbird ."

Eighty weeks later, the novel still perched on the hardcover bestseller list. During that time, it had won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the hearts of American readers. One can't help wondering how literary history might have been different had Harper Lee thrown her manuscript out the window on a slightly windier night.

About Harper Lee

Harper Lee (1926-2016)

If Nelle Harper Lee ever wanted proof that fame has its drawbacks, she didn't have to look farther than her childhood neighbor, Truman Capote. After her enormously successful first novel, she lived a life as private as Capote's was public.

Nelle—her first name was her grandmother's spelled backward—was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Her mother, Frances Cunningham Finch Lee, was a homemaker. Her father, Amasa Coleman Lee, practiced law. Before A.C. Lee became a title lawyer, he once defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Both clients, a father and son, were hanged.

As a child, Harper Lee was an unruly tomboy. She fought on the playground. She talked back to teachers. She was bored with school and resisted any sort of conformity. The character of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird would have liked her. In high school Lee was fortunate to have a gifted English teacher, Gladys Watson Burkett, who introduced her to challenging literature and the rigors of writing well. Lee loved 19th-century British authors best, and once said that her ambition was to become "the Jane Austen of south Alabama."

Unable to fit in with the sorority she joined at the University of Alabama, she found a second home on the campus newspaper. Eventually she became editor-in-chief of the Rammer Jammer , a quarterly humor magazine on campus. She entered the law school, but she "loathed" it. Despite her father's hopes that she would become a local attorney like her sister Alice, Lee went to New York to pursue her writing.

She spent eight years working odd jobs before she finally showed a manuscript to Tay Hohoff, an editor at J.B. Lippincott. At this point, it still resembled a string of stories more than the novel that Lee had intended. Under Hohoff's guidance, the perspective was changed to Scout as a child, and two and a half years of rewriting followed. When the novel was finally ready for publication, the author opted for the name "Harper Lee" on the cover, because she didn't want to be misidentified as "Nellie."

To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 to highly favorable reviews and quickly climbed the bestseller lists, where it remained for 88 weeks. In 1961, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize.

Lee later researched a book, similar to Capote's In Cold Blood (1966), about a part-time minister in Alexander City, Alabama, accused of killing five people for their insurance money and later himself murdered by a victim's relative. However, she dropped the project in the 1990s. It wasn't until February of 2015 that news of a second novel surfaced, when Lee's publisher announced a newly discovered manuscript for Go Set a Watchman , the novel Lee wrote before To Kill a Mockingbird .

In the meantime, To Kill a Mockingbird has sold more than 30 million copies in forty languages. In 2011, President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts. According to biographer Charles J. Shields, Lee was unprepared for the amount of personal attention associated with writing a bestseller. She led a quiet and guardedly private life. As Sheriff Tate says of Boo Radley, "draggin' him with his shy ways into the limelight—to me, that's a sin." So it would be with Harper Lee.

The Friendship of Harper Lee and Truman Capote

Nelle Harper Lee and Truman Capote became friends in the early 1930s as kindergarteners in Monroeville, Alabama. They lived next door to each other: Capote with aunts and uncles, Lee with her parents and three siblings. From the start they loved reading and recognized in each other "an apartness," as Capote later expressed it. When Lee's father gave them an old Underwood typewriter, they began writing original stories. Although Capote moved to New York City in the third grade to join his mother and stepfather, he returned to Monroeville most summers, eventually providing the inspiration for Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird .

In 1948 Capote published his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms . Around that time, Lee quit law school and joined Capote in New York to work at becoming a writer, too. Years of menial jobs followed until To Kill a Mockingbird was ready for publication. Capote read the manuscript and made editorial suggestions. She, in her turn, accompanied him to Kansas to help research In Cold Blood .

After To Kill a Mockingbird was published, Capote resented Lee's success. He could have tried harder to dispel baseless rumors that the novel was as much his work as hers. Their friendship continued during the 1960s and '70s, but Capote's drug and alcohol abuse strained the relationship. Later he would stop publishing and sink into self-parody, sponging off high society and making endless rounds of the talk-show circuit. When Capote died in 1984, Lee confided to friends that she hadn't heard from him in years.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Harper Lee chose as her novel's epigraph this quote from Charles Lamb: "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once"?
• Why does the adult Scout begin her narrative with Jem's broken arm and a brief family history?
• How does Boo Radley 's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout? Does this aggression make him more, or less, of a sympathetic character?
• How does the town of Maycomb function as a character with its own personality, rather than merely as a backdrop for the novel's events?
• Atticus teaches Scout that compromise is not bending the law, but "an agreement reached by mutual consent." Does Scout apply or reject this definition of compromise? What are examples of her obedience to and defiance of this principle?
• The novel takes place during the Great Depression. How do class divisions and family quarrels highlight racial tensions in Maycomb?
• Atticus believes that to understand life from someone else's perspective, we must "walk in his or her shoes." From what other perspectives does Scout see her fellow townspeople?
• How does Atticus quietly protest Jim Crow laws even before Tom Robinson's trial?
• What does Jem learn when Atticus forces him to read to Mrs. Dubose as a punishment? Why does the lawyer regard this woman as the "bravest person" he ever knew?
• Since their mother is dead, several women—Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra—function as mother figures to Scout and Jem. Discuss the ways these three women influence Scout's growing understanding of what it means to be a Southern "lady."
• Why does Atticus Finch risk his reputation, his friendships, and his career to take Tom Robinson's case? Do you think he risks too much by putting his children in harm's way?
• What elements of this novel did you find funny, memorable, or inspiring? Are there any characters whose beliefs or actions impressed or surprised you? Did any events lead you to revisit childhood memories or see them in a new light?
• Adult readers may focus so much on the novel's politics that they may neglect the coming-of-age story. What does Scout learn, and how does she change in the course of her narrative?

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English: To Kill a Mockingbird Research: Assignment

• 1: Jim Crow Laws
• 2: Ku Klux Klan
• 3: Lynching and Lynch Mobs
• 4: Stock Market Crash & Great Depression
• 5: Dust Bowl
• 6: Hoover vs Roosevelt
• 7: Education of Blacks in the South
• 8: Capital Punishment
• 9: Scottsboro Case
• 10: Criminal Court & 6th Amendment
• 11: Harper Lee
• Post-Reading Research

Assignment Details

In preparation for reading  To Kill a Mockingbird , you will conduct research on one of the following topics:

• 2: The Ku Klux Klan
• 4: The Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression
• 5: The Dust Bowl
• 6: Herbert Hoover vs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• 7: Education of Blacks in the South after the Civil War and Prior to the 1950s
• 8: Capital Punishment/Death Penalty
• 9: The Scottsboro Case
• 10: Major Criminal Court Procedures and the Sixth Amendment

After researching and taking detailed notes independently, you and your classmates with the same topic will collaborate to create a script and video that highlights your research findings. Plan out your video script using this script organizer .

• To Kill a Mockingbird Research Topics and Questions

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird Trailer

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• Last Updated: Apr 2, 2019 12:12 PM
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Articles on To Kill a Mockingbird

Displaying all articles.

These high school ‘classics’ have been taught for generations – could they be on their way out?

Andrew Newman , Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)

The crisis of anti-Black racism in schools persists across generations

Carl E. James , York University, Canada

How the moral lessons of To Kill a Mockingbird endure today

Anne Maxwell , The University of Melbourne

What do protests about Harry Potter books teach us?

Trisha Tucker , USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Review/ Has Go Set a Watchman helped topple the notion of the white saviour?

Michelle Smith , Deakin University

In Go Set a Watchman, the legal debate that racked America’s conscience

Alfred L. Brophy , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Review: why Go Set a Watchman is the novel we deserve

Mark Storey , University of Warwick

To Kill a Mockingbird, My Brilliant Career and long-lost  ‘sequels’

What should readers look for in Harper Lee’s new novel?

Laura Fine , Meredith College

Harper Lee’s gamble could undermine her Mockingbird

Paul Giles , University of Sydney

Related Topics

• Go Set a Watchman
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Top contributors

Associate Professor in Literary Studies, Monash University

Assistant Professor of American Literature, University of Warwick

Professor, School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne

Professor of English, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, ACU, Australian Catholic University

Department Chair of English, Meredith College

Associate Teaching Professor of Writing, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Professor and Chair, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)

Paul and Charlene Jones Chair in Law, University of Alabama

Professor, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora, York University, Canada

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To Kill a Mockingbird Paperback – March 1, 2002

Voted America's Best-Loved Novel in PBS's The Great American Read

Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep South—and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred

One of the most cherished stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

• Part of series To Kill a Mockingbird
• Print length 336 pages
• Language English
• Lexile measure 790L
• Dimensions 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Publisher Harper Perennial Modern Classics
• Publication date March 1, 2002
• ISBN-10 0060935464
• ISBN-13 978-0060935467
• See all details

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

“A first novel of such rare excellence that it will no doubt make a great many readers slow down to relish more fully its simple distinction. . . . A novel of strong contemporary national significance.” — Chicago Tribune

From the Back Cover

Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south—and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred

One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

About the Author

Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She is the author of the acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman , which became a phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller when it was published in July 2015. Ms. Lee received the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and numerous other literary awards and honors. She died on February 19, 2016.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

To kill a mockingbird, chapter one.

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock...

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial Modern Classics (March 1, 2002)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060935464
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060935467
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14+ years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 790L
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• #2 in Classic American Literature
• #3 in Classic Literature & Fiction
• #9 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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About the author

Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She attended Huntingdon College and studied law at the University of Alabama. She is the author of the acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous other literary awards and honours. She died on 19 February 2016.

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• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 83% 11% 3% 1% 2% 2%

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Customers say

Customers find the literary merit amazing, powerful, timeless, and good depiction of the South. They also appreciate the wonderful characters and interesting view of women. Readers describe the themes as meaningful, disturbing, and incontrovertible. They describe the plot as moving, insightful, descriptive, and thought-provoking. They praise the writing style as delightful, outstanding, and has a message of acceptance. Opinions differ on entertainment value, with some finding it hilarious and touching, while others find it boring for the first half.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book amazing, brilliant, and suspenseful. They also say it's complex with multiple themes and a very good depiction of the South at this time in history.

"...The scenes leading up to and within the courthouse during the trial are brilliant and evoke so much emotion as you "climb into another's skin and..." Read more

"...For me, that is why To Kill A Mockingbird is the great American novel . It spans the gap of generations, and through Scout’s eyes, looks into our soul." Read more

"...I rate 'To Kill a Mockingbird' with five stars for its masterful storytelling , poignant exploration of human nature, and its unwavering impact on..." Read more

"Best book for teen or adult. The movie is also well done . Setting is from years ago, but the theme is still relevant!" Read more

Customers find the writing style delightful, sweet, and imaginative. They also say the book is one of the most critically acclaimed novels of all time. Customers also mention that the book has very little foul language and has a message of acceptance that we all need to hear.

"...The writing is so vivid and the characters really come alive. Your heart wants one verdict even though your head knows it's going to be another...." Read more

"...The prose is superb . The story is engaging and riveting...." Read more

"...While the book tackles weighty themes, it does so with grace and subtlety , inviting readers to reflect on the nuances of life and the intricacies of..." Read more

"...was like returning to a childhood home and finding it warm and welcoming and undisturbed from the passage of time, like walking the streets of my..." Read more

Customers find the themes in the book meaningful, intriguing, and good. They say the book creates a world that brings back memories of childhood. They also say the cast of characters reflects the time with stark honesty. Customers also say that the book has better lessons than the Bible, a timeless message of love that permeates through the novel, and enduring relevance.

"...and within the courthouse during the trial are brilliant and evoke so much emotion as you "climb into another's skin and walk around in it"...." Read more

"...The story is engaging and riveting. There are moments that will make you smile , others that will make you angry and some that might bring tears to..." Read more

"...Its enduring relevance and impact lie in its ability to engage readers across generations, inviting contemplation on timeless themes such as justice..." Read more

"...Though it is not without its flaws, there is a timeless message of love that permeates through the novel...." Read more

Customers find the plot moving, inviting contemplation on timeless themes, and hardbreakingly humane. They say it shows the true meaning of family and bravery. Readers also say the book is a study of human nature, insightful criticism of morality in America, and realistic. They mention the confrontation is realistic and that Atticus has such strength and peace. Overall, customers say the story is good history, sociology, and story-telling.

"...in its ability to engage readers across generations, inviting contemplation on timeless themes such as justice, empathy, and the struggle between..." Read more

"...Setting is from years ago, but the theme is still relevant !" Read more

"...gender roles, Southern manners and taboos, and an important moral message of kindness , love and conviction all within a whimsical bildungsroman..." Read more

"...She sees Atticus as a racist and feels deceived. The confrontation is realistic ...." Read more

Customers find the characters wonderful and interesting.

"...The writing is so vivid and the characters really come alive . Your heart wants one verdict even though your head knows it's going to be another...." Read more

"...the coming-of-age narrative of Scout, and has a knack for creating exquisite characters that have left their immortal mark in the halls of..." Read more

"...This book is very good and you end up getting very fond of the characters it almost seems that your growing up with them...." Read more

"...Scout and her older brother Jem are completely natural characters , recognizable to all of us who remember our own childhoods...." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book profoundly moving, engaging, and thoughtful. They also say it's a fast read that maintains s wonderful flow.

"...Just know that it is a gripping story with a conclusion that keeps you on the edge of your seat before Lee allows you to take a breath in the final..." Read more

"...Harper Lee's storytelling is at once compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving ...." Read more

"..."us" as a society (not just in the 1930s but even today), moves me , inspires me,Possibly the best novel ever written." Read more

"I’ve read this book several times and it’s always so timely . It never disappoints." Read more

Customers find the book compelling for all ages, with racism and prejudice. They also say the character of Atticus is a fine example in parenting. Readers also mention that the book spans the gap of generations and looks into our soul.

"...It spans the gap of generations , and through Scout’s eyes, looks into our soul." Read more

" Best book for teen or adult . The movie is also well done. Setting is from years ago, but the theme is still relevant!" Read more

"...This book is just an amazing book that I think anybody can enjoy at any age ...." Read more

"... Using children is powerful because in many ways, they are a tabula rosa...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the entertainment value of the book. Some mention that the string of captivating, hilarious, and touching stories always gives them joy. However, others say that it was boring for the first half and not very impressive in contrast with picture books of travel and adventure.

"...sense of all the hustle and bustle around her, and this creates an incredible ironic effect where there are large events going on that the reader..." Read more

"...for an actor like Lincolnesque Gregory Peck, but not so compelling on the printed page ...." Read more

"...There's a lot of funny stuff about education and John Dewey...." Read more

"...The string of captivating, hilarious and touching, stories/encounters which are lived-out by the three main characters..." Read more

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To Kill a Mockingbird: Websites

• Find Articles
• Scottsboro Boys
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Study Guides

• LitCharts Study Guide
• Sparksnotes
• CliffsNotes

Linda Stelter/The Birmingham News, via Associated Press

Websites about To Kill a Mockingbird

• 50 Years On, 'Mockingbird' Still Sings America's Song Written in 2010, this article discusses the importance of the novel.
• Monroe County Heritage Museum Website of the Monroe County Heritage Museum, Monroeville, Alabama. Monroeville, Alabama is Harper's birthplace and where she spent her life before dying in 2016. Links to information about the book, the play, the movie, and other aspects.
• Harper Lee's Novel Achievement Article from the Smithsonian, June 2010.
• ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ remains among top banned classical novels February 19, 2016 article from PBS about the continued controversy about this timeless novel.
• WHAT TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MEANS TO ME The founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center discusses how the novel inspired him.

Library of Congress

To kill a mockingbird : a historical perspective lesson overview.

https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/mockingbird/

The Library of Congress has a teacher guide that includes lots of pictures and primary documents from the Library's collection to aid in the study of "To Kill a Mockingbird." 

Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination: Documentation by Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Photographers

Https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/085_disc.html, harper lee in 1963, associated press.

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• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 10:02 AM
• URL: https://libguides.rccc.edu/mockingbird