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Birth
Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. She was the youngest of four children. -
Black Tuesday
The stock market crash on "Black Tuesday" is acclaimed to be the start of The Great Depression. To southerns and those living in Alabama, the Great Depression had already been present. The decline in agriculture was the cause of this. -
The Scottsboro Trials
Nine young black men were wrongly accused and convicted for the raping of two white women on a train in Jackson County, Alabama. The young men were sentenced to death but the ruling was overturned. This was only to be reversed and sent back to trial. The Scottsboro trials went on for many years and this event was an influence on Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. -
University of Alabama
Harper Lee transferred to the University of Alabama to study law, but she left in 1949. -
Moved to New York
Harper moved to New York and began to work for Eastern Air Lines and British Overseas Airways. New York was where Harper Lee began to write. Her friends encouraged her to quit her job and paid her living expenses for a year so that she could focus on her writing. From this generous gift came, To Kill a Mockingbird. -
Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement
In Montgomery, Alabama, a black woman refused to give up her bus seat up to a white man. She was convicted for violating segregation laws.Rosa Parks was already deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. In her decision to stay seated, she was taking a stand against the segregation laws. -
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a historical fiction that takes place during the early nineteenth century in Alabama. The book has many themes, but Harper Lee labeled it, "a simple love story." -
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel was translated in over 10 different languages and within a year of its release, over 500,000 copies were sold. -
From Bookshelf to Big Screen
After Lee's book received mixed reviews upon it's release, the film's success caused many to reevaluate their criticism of the title. The film and book are both beloved and important to American literature and film alike. -
WQXR Radio Interview
The interview with WQXR is one of the lasts that Harper Lee gives exclusively. It is the only one recorded while discussing To Kill a Mockingbird. She discusses that she had no idea that the book would be as successful and praises the film that came later. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
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Honorary Degree from Spring Hill College
Harper Lee is given an honorary degree from Spring Hill College in Alabama. -
The University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame awards Lee with an honorary degree. -
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
President George W. Bush presented Harper Lee with the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of her contribution to American literature. -
Release of Go Set a Watchman
Go Set a Watchman was Lee's initial novel about Scout returning to her hometown of Maycomb. Through flashbacks and running into old friends and acquaintances, Scout confronted the small town and all of its racial discrimination. In listening to her editor's advice, she revisited the novel and created, To Kill a Mockingbird. Go Set a Watchman was highly anticipated and when it was finally released, it sold more than 700,000 copies on the first day. -
Death
Harper Lee never married or had children. She left behind a niece, three nephews, many friends and admirers, and a piece of American literature that carries a theme that is just as important now as it was during its release.
