To Kill a Mockingbird: Historical Background

Informative Speech

Introduction:

In order to analyze a literary novel we must first understand the time, place, and people on which it is based. As we study Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, we need to look beyond the literary context into our own nation’s past.

While we will acquire an in-depth understanding of the plot of the novel and its setting of the South in the 1930's once we begin reading, we must first understand the way such real-life events, culture, challenges, and changes were incorporated by Lee into her only novel.

Task:

You will explore the lives of people and/or issues during the time period between the 1930s and the 1960s and analyze social interaction, economic and educational disparity, and individual rights under the law.

You must research one of the following areas, and each individual must present a 2-3 minute formal, informative speech on a partner’s or a group’s chosen topic.

1. Harper Lee (2 people)

  • Who is she? Important biographical info.
  • Who/What influenced her to write this novel?

2. Monroeville, Alabama (2 people)

  • Geography/location
  • Old Courthouse Museum
  • City’s economy
  • Why is this city important to author/novel?

3. Life in the South (3 people)

  • Life in the South during The Great Depression
  • Growing up white in the South in the 1930s
  • Growing up black in the South in 1930s

4. Jim Crow Laws (3 people)

  • Who was Jim Crow, and why were they called this?
  • What were they?
  • When were they enforced?
  • Examples of Jim Crow Laws

5. Segregation in Education (2 people)

  • Gov. George Wallace
  • Famous cases
  • Incidents

6. The Scottsboro Boys (3 people)

  • Who were they? How many?
  • What happened in March of 1931?
  • What was unfair about the trials?
  • Results of the FINAL trials?

7. Violence (3 people)

  • KKK
  • Lynching
  • Bloody Sunday
  • Other examples/events

8. Civil Rights Movements (3 people)

  • Rosa Parks
  • Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Montgomery Boycott
  • Little Rock, AK
  • Other prominent people/places

9. Civil Rights Laws/ Changes to Life in the South (2 people)

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • Voting Rights Act of 1964

10. Media of 1930s-1960s (2 people)

  • Songs (Civil Rights related)
  • Notable movies that related to Civil Rights Movement

Requirements:

  • Each person will submit a MLA outline and Works Cited page
  • At least 2 sources per person (credible if online)
  • Each group will submit a handout summarizing the material covered in the presentation. Use note format (no copy and paste, use bullets). This will be copied by the teacher and distributed to the entire class and a culminating quiz will be given on everyone’s presentation.

Schedule:

  • You will receive the rest of this week to conduct your research and organize your findings.
  • Constructing your outline and speech is expected to be done outside of class
  • Presentations will begin on Jan. 13th. Everyone must be prepared.

Suggested Links:

Multiple sites can be viewed from each page. You are encouraged to use other sources and sites.