To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Biography and Background to the Novel

Harper Lee
Biography of the author.

The 1930s
A collection of 108 photos, some of them historical and quite a few works of art depicting the times. A great resource for helping students visualize the times.

Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943
Color photographs of American life during the Depression.

The Courthouse Ring: Atticus Finch and the limits of Southern liberalism
Critical commentary.

I Would Say To Kill A Mockingbird Captured The Most Interesting Part Of Our Lives
Interview parody from The Onion .

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy
The lesson plans accompanying this PBS special emphasize reading and writing skills.

The Scottsboro Trials
The Scottsboro case provided the model for Tom Robinson in the novel. This site includes an overview, legal documents, transcripts of testimony, pictures, even an editorial cartoon and postcard from the time.

To Kill a Mockingbird Background
In this WebQuest students investigate "Jim Crow" laws from a variety of perspectives. Assessment included.

To Kill a Mockingbird : a Historical Perspective
Using online primary sources, students study the experience of African-Americans in the South during the Depression. This lesson uses materials from the American Memory collection of the Library of Congress and is designed for grades 6-12.

Click here for lesson plans related to the novel iteself.