Literature and Life

Research

Slavery

a. When and how did slavery begin in the southern state?
Ans: It began in 1526. It began when the Spanish brought African slaves to work in South Caroilne.
b. Which country were the slaves brought from?
Ans: The slaves were brought from Africa.
c. Who traditionally bought and owned the slaves?
Ans: Slavery was practiced and established in the Spanish colonies in the 1560s.
d. Were there laws/rules that the slaves had to abide by? If yes what were they?
Ans: Yes. Slaves could not gather in groups of 4 or more. They cannot leave their owners property without a written pass. They could not own weapons. Slaves were not allowed to learn how to read or write.
e. How does the notion of slavery relate to the novel? Does the study of slavery help you understand the novel better?
Ans: As slaves are often discriminated and are dark-skinned, it is linked to the story- Tom Robinson, a black who was maligned of raping May Ewell when he did not but nobody believed him as he was a black. This shows the discrimination of black in the past. Yes the study of slavery helped me to understand the novel better.

The Civil War

a. Identify the southern states.
Ans:
Texas
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Tennessee
Kentucky
Georgia
Virginia
Washington D.C.
West Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Florida
Maryland
Delaware

b. Who was the US president who proclaimed war against the South?
Ans: President Lincoln

c. Why was the Civil War fought?
Ans: The Civil war was fought over slavery and many other reasons which started long before the first shot was fired.


d. When was this war fought?
Ans: 1861-1865.
e. What was the outcome of this war?
Ans: Slavery was banned in US after the civil war.
f. How does the Civil Rights movement relate to the novel?
Ans: Civil Rights movement is a worldwide political movement for equality before the law and this is like Atticus fighting for equality for Tom Robinson.

Jim Crow’s Laws

a. What/who is Jim Crow?
Ans: Jim Crow is a system which believes that whites are more superior than blacks in all superior ways.
b. What were Jim Crow Laws?
Ans: “Jim Crow laws defined what many U.S. citizens felt to be "separate but equal" treatment for African Americans.”
c. What was the response of the slaves and the Blacks to these laws?
Ans: They reacted with mob violence.
d. Do we see the Jim Crow laws surface in the novel? If so then in which part of the novel?
Ans: Yes. It happened at the part where Tom Robinson was treated unjustly in court- he was convicted on something he did not do.

Sources: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002047F/slave_laws_and_auctions.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States
http://www.innercity.org/holt/slavechron.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-were-jim-crow-laws.htm
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm