What role might the Jim Crow Laws play in To Kill a Mockingbird? Knowing that the father in the story is a lawyer, how might this come into play as...

Although Jim Crow Laws had a profound influence on the lives of most African-Americans in the South, it's difficult to say whether or not they are significant in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is clear that segregation has a strong influence on the white supremacist perspective of many white characters and their ability or willingness to believe that Tom is capable of having committed the crime. Atticus, Scout, and Jem, on the other hand,...

Although Jim Crow Laws had a profound influence on the lives of most African-Americans in the South, it's difficult to say whether or not they are significant in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is clear that segregation has a strong influence on the white supremacist perspective of many white characters and their ability or willingness to believe that Tom is capable of having committed the crime. Atticus, Scout, and Jem, on the other hand, have more engagement with the African-American community through Cal and other members of the black community, which ostensibly influenced their slightly more liberal opinions of the black community in Maycomb.

As for the role of Jim Crow in Atticus' story, it is likely that it had little influence. Atticus is a man that is fiercely dedicated to upholding the equal application of the law, regardless of race. His decision to defend Tom, for example, is motivated by his belief that every person deserves fair and unbiased representation, as is stated in the Constitution. When it comes to the "separate but equal" lives that whites and blacks lead, he more or less accepts it as the way things are and doesn't let it influence his job as a defense attorney.