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Race Relations In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill A Mockingbird & Race Relations “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (King). This quote by the notable Martin Luther King Jr. describes an image of society that has yet to develop. Ever since the European settlement of Colonial America, an air of Caucasian superiority has existed. African Americans spent centuries working on plantations while the Caucasians went about their privileged lives; they are still viewed as uneducated and a threat to the safety of Caucasians. Hispanics are viewed as people who work the jobs that the Caucasians refuse to do. Native Americans have become targets of sexual …show more content…
In 2006, six years prior to the incident, Florida passed the “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows someone to use deadly means in order to protect themselves from someone who is a threat to their safety. It was the evening of 26 February 2012 and Martin was walking to his dad’s fiancee’s house from a nearby 7-11. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, spotted Martin walking in someone’s yard and looking around at the houses. This struck Zimmerman as suspicious. Zimmerman called the police and described the situation to them. Martin, who was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time, noticed that Zimmerman was watching him. Martin continued on his way home and Zimmerman drove around, pursuing him. At one point, Martin started running, prompting Zimmerman to chase him. When Zimmerman informed police that he was running after Martin, they told him, “Okay, we don’t need you to do that”. What occurred after that point is filled in by what Zimmerman claimed happened. Zimmerman said that Martin punched him in the face, got on top of him, threatened to kill him, and then repeatedly smashed his head against the concrete sidewalk. Zimmerman, feeling threatened, took out his gun and shot Martin in the chest, fatally wounding him. If this is exactly what happened, then Zimmerman’s action was completely warranted; however, the general public believes that if Zimmerman had simply stayed in his car, none of this would have occurred. This key point made it difficult to believe Zimmerman’s story (Linder

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