ACT-style writing prompt: To Kill a Mockingbird vs. the U.S. Constitution
In 1868, three years after slavery was abolished, a Consitutional amendment was passed which ensured that black Americans would be considered citizens with all the rights and responsibilities that entailed, including equal access to the law and protection by the law. The first section of this amendment is printed below.
To Kill a Mockingbird takes place some 60 years after this 14th Amendment was passed. Some people feel that Tom Robinson—and other blacks of the time period--was not in reality given the treatment that the Constitution on paper said he deserved. Others say that he had as fair a trial as was possible and that with the evidence given the jury had no choice but to convict him. In your opinion, were Tom’s Constitutional rights recognized?
In a thoughtful paragraph or two, take a position on this question. Analyze the contents of the 14th Amendment, and relate it to the happenings in the book to support your opinion. Use specific examples from the novel, and reference specific phrases of the amendment.
Amendment XIV of the United States Constitution, Section 1:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
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