NAME:______________________________________________________________ PERIOD:_______________________
ENG I Advanced
Sullivan
To Kill a Mockingbird
Background Notes Web-quest
Visit the class web site for hyperlinks to make your search easier.
THE AUTHOR
Use the links below to answer the questions about the author.
http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021
1. Author’s name:_______________________________ 2. Date of birth:_______________________________
3. Place of birth:______________________________________
4. Find three details about her childhood or family:
5. Who was her childhood best friend?
6. What college(s) did she attend/what did she major in?
7. What change in major did she make in her junior year?
8. What novel did she help write? What was it about?
9. How did her decision to move to New York make To Kill A Mockingbird a reality (include the names of those people
important)?
10. What other names was the novel known as before it became To Kill A Mockingbird?
11. Year the novel was published:
12. Award won in 1961:
13. What was the basis of the two recent lawsuits involving the novel?
14. Answer after the Webquest: Harper Lee's real life influenced many of the characters and events in To Kill A
Mockingbird. Given what have you learned about her life (including personality traits, friends, family,
experiences) make a prediction about what kinds of issues might surface in the book. Should your
knowledge about Harper Lee will influence your reading of the book? Why or why not?
JIM CROW LAWS
http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/white-only-1.h tml
http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/separate-but-equal.html
http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/a-brief-history-of-jim-crow
15. Where did the term, "Jim Crow," originate from? How is the origin of this term offensive?
16. Give examples of three “Jim Crow” laws.
17. What Supreme Court case upheld segregation, or "separate but equal?" Cite the year, case name and at least three
details about the case.
18. How were these laws finally invalidated?
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/scottsb.htm
19. What were The Scottsboro Boys known for? Who were they? What did they do? How did
they get in so much trouble?
20. The Scottsboro Boys’ attorneys were extremely incompetent. How did the defense attorneys show their lack of
experience? List at least 3 ways in which the defense lawyers were inadequate.
21. Describe the trials. Were they fair or unfair? Include supporting facts to back up your description.
22. The case came to be known as “The White People of Alabama vs. _____________________________” – in your own
words, explain why.
23. What happened to the Scottsboro Boys? Were they ever pardoned of their convictions?
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
http://www.history.com/topics/new-deal
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/dustbowl.htm
24. What were “Black Thursday,” “Black Monday” and "Black Tuesday"? Why does this mark the beginning of the Great
Depression? (give the dates and explain what occurred on each day)
25. What president was inaugurated in 1933? What were some of the changes made by this administration?
26. What was the New Deal? How did the New Deal affect American citizens?
27. What is the WPA? (What is the abbreviation for, and describe it)
28. What was the Dust Bowl?
29. How did the Dust Bowl affect the Southern Plains?
30. What affect did the Dust Bowl have on agriculture? How would this affect farmers and their employers?
LEARNING MORE
Check the following web sites for other information pertaining to the novel, the time period and the author. Peruse
the sites for additional information. Find facts that were not asked about, but that you find interesting or pertinent. Be
prepared to share what you find.
Pictures of the Scottsboro Boys:
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_imag.html
The Great Depression:
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/great -depression.cfm
The trailer for To Kill A Mockingbird from the re-release of the blu-ray:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-CrrtYjrbM
How the novel came to be written:
http://www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/reade rs-guide/
Harper Lee in the news today:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2014/07/15/harper-lee-dispute-the-mockingbird-next-door/12671487/
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jul/09/entertainment/la -et-jc-harper-lee-tragic-lawsuit-to-kill-a-mockingbird-vanityfair-20130709
The novel is considered to be one of the most influential:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/29/to-kill-a-mockingbird-life-changing-women-harper-lee
List five things that you learned that were not already addressed in the webquest questions.
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