To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 15: Lynching History
This To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 15 lesson pairs the jailhouse scene with carefully framed historical study of lynching and racial terror in the United States. Students examine how mob pressure, prejudice, and individual action shape the scene, then use text evidence to discuss courage and responsibility.
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Learning Goals
- I will be able to explain the legal definition of lynching, the historical changes in lynching victims’ demographics, and the role of racial stereotypes and myths in justifying lynching.
- I will be able to draw connections between the themes in Chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird and historical realities of racial injustice, particularly lynching.
- I will be able to analyze the motivations and actions of characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, especially in the context of the Maycomb jailhouse scene.
Materials
TKAM Digital Copy
TKAM Audio Chapter 15 (30:25)
Origins of Lynching Video
Origins of Lynching Worksheet
Chapter 15 Worksheet
Process
- Watch the video, Origins of Lynching
- Answer questions on the Origins of Lynching Worksheet
- Read Chapter 15 or To Kill a Mockingbird.
- Answer the Chapter 15 questions.
Origins of Lynching Questions
- What is the legal definition of lynching? What constitutes a mob?
- What action did the NAACP take against lynching in the 1920s?
- How did the majority of lynching victims before 1890 differ from then majority after that year?
- What is one of the functions of a racial stereotype, according to Paula Giddings? How do stereotypes relate to “first-class” citizenship?
- How does Giddings distinguish between rights and privileges? Is “firstclass” citizenship a right or a privilege?
- How did prejudices toward black Americans change in the late nineteenth century? How was science used to justify those prejudices?
- What myths and fears were used to justify the lynching of black men?
- What experiences influenced Ida B. Wells to challenge the custom of lynching?
- What strategy did Wells use to challenge the practice and disprove the myths used to justify it?
- According to Wells’s observations, what were the real reasons that blacks were being lynched? What is the reality that her work uncovered about the relationships that black lynching victims typically had with white women?
- What does Giddings define as the primary function that lynching played in Jim Crow society?
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Chapter 15 Questions
- Why do Heck Tate, Link Deas, and others come to the Finches’ house?
- What do they discuss with Atticus? What do they hope to avoid?
- When a group of men, led by Mr. Cunningham, shows up at the Maycomb jailhouse the night before the Tom Robinson trial, what have they come to do?
- Why is Atticus there waiting?
- How do you think the men’s ideas about justice differ from Atticus’s?
- Analyze Scout’s attempts to engage Mr. Cunningham in conversation. Why does this exchange convince Mr. Cunningham and the other men to leave?
Curriculum Connections
Ontario Grade 9 English (ENL1W): This lesson supports Strand C and Strand D through historical-context reading, literary interpretation, source-based discussion, and reflective response.
Common Core: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, RI.9-10.1, and SL.9-10.1.
Differentiation and Extensions
Differentiation: Preview key vocabulary and historical context before the video, provide a focused viewing guide, and allow students to discuss evidence in pairs before whole-class analysis.
Extension: Ask students to explain how historical context changes their interpretation of the jailhouse scene without treating the fictional scene as a substitute for historical evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why include historical context with Chapter 15?
The context helps students understand the social forces and risks surrounding the jailhouse scene and strengthens their analysis of mob behaviour, courage, and prejudice.
How should sensitive historical material be handled?
Frame the material academically, preview terminology, focus on documented context, and provide space for questions without requiring personal disclosure.
What should students connect back to the novel?
Students should use the historical context to deepen—not replace—their close reading of character choices, setting, conflict, and theme in Chapter 15.