Imagine a person back in the year 1930. He is on jury to seek justice where a black man is accused of raping a nineteen-year-old white girl. Keep in mind many things were different back then. People thought differently, acted differently. People treated others differently, and were treated differently according to their rank among society. In the following are some reasons as to why the jury found Tom Robinson, an innocent man, guilty of raping a white girl, including the history of Maycomb, and the thoughts and feelings of the jury that influenced their final decision whether it be hatred or fear. .
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There are many reasons as to why Tom Robinson's jury found him guilty, but to be able to understand this, you must first be aware of when this took place, where it took place, and overall, the history of Maycomb. Maycomb has always been known as the small, desolate town on the outskirts of Alabama. The people living there have barely been exposed to the views of others outside Maycomb, therefore, the strength of discrimination may be hard to believe by some outsiders, but present in the mind of every person living in Maycomb. This discrimination and unfairness most defiantly is accompanied by hatred and fear. Imagine a white person has grown up in a society where mistreating a black person was normality. They have learned that no matter the situation, a white mans word will always be stronger than a black mans. "The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells"" (Lee, 88). They may feel hatred towards coloured folks for any reason, maybe just because they look different. They also may feel afraid of voicing their opinion because they are frightened by the thought of what their friends will think and say, for example their friends might call them a nigger-lover. People living here rarely get the opportunity to explore the outside world, and experience different views and opinions of others.
