To Kill A Mockingbird Context

To Kill A Mockingbird Context

1. Economy

   • Economics dominated politics in the 30’s and little shanty towns, called Hoovervilles were created. The Wall Street Crash (WSC) or Black Tuesday (29 Oct 1929) saw the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the US.
   • Several commissions were set up to regulate the WSC, the banking industry and other businesses. The Social Security Act, 1935, set up a program to ensure an income for the elderly. The Wagner Act, 1935, gave workers the legal right to unionize.
   • John L. Lewis founded the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and conditions for blue-collar workers improved. The average salary was $1,368 and unemployment rose to 25%.

2. Education

   • The 1930’s were a perilous time for public education. Parents were unable to supply their kids with the necessary clothes, supplies and textbooks to attend school. Taxes were unpaid and with the loss of revenue, schools were forced to try numerous strategies. School terms were shortened and teachers' salaries were cut.
   • The famous Dick and Jane books that taught millions of children to read were first published in 1931. These introduced the students to reading with only one new word per page and a limited vocabulary per book. All who learned to read with these books still recall the "Look. See Dick. See Dick run."

3. Politics

   • The Presidents of the 1930s were Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the dominant political presence of the age, serving to re-inspire faith after Herbert Hoover, who was blamed for causing the stock market crash and subsequent depression. Roosevelt almost single-handedly forged a new political alliance between the working classes of the Northern cities, the farmers of the West and South (both black and white). Roosevelt's policies for recovery introduced his use of the radio in order to talk directly to the nation.

4. Women

   • Stereotype- Typically seen as the housewives who cooked and cleaned while the husband was at work. Many women had jobs, such as working in the factories, but never got the right credit
   • A woman had to get a full education to be equal to a male who only graduated from elementary school. Women generally had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men.

5. Science/Technology

   • Some inventions of the 1930’s include: Parking Meter, Carl C. Magee, 1932 Frequency Modulation (FM), Edwin Herbert Land, 1933 First canned beer, 1934 Cat eyes, Percy Shaw, 1934 Photocopier, Chester F. Carlson, 1937 Ballpoint pen, Ladislo Biro, 1938 First successful helicopter, Igor Sikorsky, 1939