Despite the generation into which an individual is born, no society has escaped the wrath of racism. From the Native Americans of Jamestown to the immigrants of Ellis Island, racism continues today with Muslims blamed for 9/11 and other terrorist attacks. Although racism has changed from the early 1800s to today, it is still present. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the southern town of Maycomb, where citizens struggle with racism, the meaning of courage, and familial status. The award-winning book is told from the point of view of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in the 1930s. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird racism is shown by two children building a snowman, the separate churches and the Tom Robinson trial; to demonstrate that the decisions made by the people of Maycomb are based on more than their own personal opinions. Snow is a rare sight in Maycomb. When the white flakes begin to fall, the students soon receive news of a snow day. The snow barely covers the ground layer making typical snow day activities difficult. There is always plenty of land in Maycomb, it is thrown here and there, trampled on and is useless, the land in Maycomb is similar to that of black people, they are always treated unfairly. Snow, on the other hand, is rare, treated delicately, and never goes unnoticed, just like the whites of Maycomb. Jem and Scout want to build a snowman, but the lack of snow has made it difficult to build it from just their yard, so they seek out Miss Maudie to borrow her snow. Even with the snow from the Finches and Miss Maudies, the kids still can't get enough. Jem won't miss the opportunity to build his first, and perhaps last, snowman. Determined, he begins by building a foundation from the plentiful... middle of paper......the trial is similar to another event in history, the Scottosboro Trials, both trials involve an innocent black male accused by a white woman . Racism is not just based on one's personal opinions, it is much more. Harper Lee shows racism in her award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird using the story of two children building a snowman, segregated churches, and the Trial of Tom Robinson. Scout Finch, a young girl in the 1930s, gets a front row seat to seeing the racism around her in Harper Lee's novel. Racism is not something a person is born with, it is taught by the people and events around a person. Acting racist can be a race discriminating against any other race, racism happens every day; assuming something about someone because of their skin tone, insulting people because of their race. Racism can be a disease, but it tends to be genetic and contagious