The ‘Jim Crow Laws’ were a set of laws which legalised segregation between those of ‘colour’ and white people in America. These laws were set in place post-civil war era until 1968. African Americans were not able to vote under these laws, alongside not being able to hold jobs or get an education etc.

Almost straight after Adolf Hitler came to power, the persecution of Jews came about. At first, anti-Jewish laws were introduced, but between 1933 and 1945, over 2000 anti-Jewish decrees were passed. These included but were not limited to: Jewish losing ability to vote, Jewish losing German citizenship, Jews banned from parks, restaurants and swimming pools and Jewish kids expelled from German schools (the list goes on).

In the second scene in the school, Miss Gates is lecturing the students about equality and democracy during the persecution of the Jews by Hitler. This scene shows pure hypocrisy. Miss Gates says “that’s the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship… Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced,” after coming out of the courtroom after Tom’s (African American) trial “being ugly about folks right at home.” In the 1930s, the Jim Crow laws in America were very bad and African Americans were not able to vote under these laws, alongside not being able to hold jobs or get an education. This makes the situation of America at the time not much better than the segregation of the Jews, and therefore Harper Lee is trying to prove the hypocrisy of America and show the prominence of white supremacy, which has been learnt and integrated into society until citizens know no better.