1. Nelle Harper Lee—her life
Born April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama
Grew up and established a strong friendship with neighbor, Truman Capote
Attended Huntingdon College ( )
Studied law at University of Alabama ( )
Studied for one year at Oxford University

2. Nelle Harper Lee—her writing
To Kill a Mockingbird is her only novel.
Submitted TKAM in 1957; rejected
Spent two and one-half years revising
In 1960, TKAM published to widespread acclaim.
Pulitzer Prize—1961
Movie version won four Academy Awards--1962

3. TKAM—the novel Written during the Civil Rights Movement
African Americans were fighting for equal rights.

4. Major Civil Rights Events
The Montgomery Bus Boycott (Rosa Parks):
African Americans avoided mass transit for an entire year in protest of segregation.

5. Major Civil Rights Events
The Little Rock/Central High School Crisis:
The National Guard was called in to prevent African American students from enrolling in an all white high school.

6. Notable Civil Rights Activists
Martin Luther King
Malcolm X

7. TKAM--Setting
While the novel was written in the late 1950s, it takes place in the 1930s when the segregation sentiment was high.

8. TKAM--Setting
Historically, the novel takes place around the time of the Great Depression, The Stock Market Crash, and World War 1.

9. TKAM—Society at that time…
A definite class structure existed
Upper and middle class whites lived in nice neighborhoods. (The Finch family)