Teaching Digital History

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"A Time to Kill"

I have chosen the closing argument scene from “A Time to Kill” where Matthew Macohnoey’s character tells a very descriptive story of the rape and attempted murder of a young African American girl. Every time I watch this movie I still get emotional watching this scene. I think this scene is a great tool for educators who promote social justice when it comes to the Social Studies curriculum. It breaks down barriers of white vs. black and forces the person to look pass race and really feel empathy for the little girl in that situation.

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Comment by Charley Norkus on November 2, 2009 at 4:00pm
"Now imagine she's white." I remember the first time I saw this film, and I reacted just like they did in the film - wow, verrrrrry powerful. I wonder if these events had taken place in pre-Civil Rights America, if the speech would have had the same desired effect upon the jury. I think one of the reasons that the Civil Rights movement was successful was because the media (television coverage) helped to put a human face on the movement. The hearts of people in "A Time to Kill" had already been somewhat softened by a few decades of protest and change - I'm not sure that the racist people of Mississippi or Indiana would have flinched at the speech if this trial had taken place before the 1960's.

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