Final answer:
In 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' segregation was evident in schools, public buildings, transportation, and other public facilities, enforced by Jim Crow laws. African Americans suffered inferior conditions, and 'separate but equal' was seldom true in reality. The Supreme Court upheld this segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, supporting the unequal division between races.
Step-by-step explanation:
In To Kill a Mockingbird, examples of public areas that were separated due to Jim Crow laws included schools, public buildings, parks, hospitals, transportation, and water fountains. This legal segregation mandated 'separate but equal' facilities for African Americans and whites but, in reality, facilities for African Americans were almost always inferior.
The Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson cemented this practice by ruling that the equal protection clause was not meant to provide social equality, thus supporting the segregation.
Specific instances of segregation were evident in educational settings. For example, in 1951, high school student Barbara Johns protested against the vastly inferior conditions at her black high school compared to the modern white high school. Schools, thus, were clear indicators of the racial divide enforced by segregation laws.
In addition to schools, daily life was segregated. This included the requirement for blacks and whites to use separate restrooms, drinking fountains, and even abide by regulations determining which park bench to sit on or what color their telephone could be, all based on race. These conditions reflected a comprehensive system designed to maintain racial separation and white supremacy.