[IrishElk] Not Even Past

[irishelk]

Because he was a murderer, his grandson became a civil rights activist, even though the murder had nothing to do with race or bigotry. How?

[Doriana]

Did he commit one murder? More than one?
Did he commit the murder(s) before his grandson was born? after?
Is relation to the victim(s) relevant at all? his motive?
Was he ever convicted for the murder(s)? Did he go to prison? Was he executed?

[GalFisk]

Relevant who he murdered? Why? How? When? Was his grandson's decision to become an activist influenced by the killing? The investigation? The trial? The sentence? The punishment?

[Sundowner]

Did the grandson know that his grandfather was a murderer? Did he ever met his grandfather? Did he even know of his grandfather?
if anything true: before he became a civil rights activist?

[irishelk]

Doriana

Did he commit one murder? This. More than one?
Did he commit the murder(s) before his grandson was born? Assume before. after?
Is relation to the victim(s) relevant at all? his motive? Nope, irr.
Was he ever convicted for the murder(s)? Yes. Did he go to prison? Yes. Was he executed? No.


GalFisk

Relevant who he murdered? Why? How? No to all. When? Yesish. Was his grandson's decision to become an activist influenced by the killing? The investigation? The trial? The sentence? The punishment? This is most relevant, but may mislead.


Sundowner

Did the grandson know that his grandfather was a murderer? Yes. Did he ever met his grandfather? Irr. Did he even know of his grandfather? Yes.
if anything true: before he became a civil rights activist? He knew about the murder previously, yes.

[GalFisk]

Relevant what punishment the grandfather received? For how long? relevant how any other murderer was punished?

[irishelk]

GalFisk

Relevant what punishment the grandfather received? Only one aspect of it. For how long? Noish. relevant how any other murderer was punished? No.

[markobr]

Has he met his murderous grandfather? Spoken to him? Written to him? Received written communication from him?

Did the murderer get some kind of corporal punishment?

Did he (the activist) live in the USA? His grandfather?

[Mimino]

Did the grandfather serve his sentence in a regular prison? in a penal colony? in some other place?
Was he ever released?
Was the grandfather convicted before his grandson was born? before his son (or daughter) was born?
Was he convicted a long time after the actual murder?

[irishelk]

markobr

Has he met his murderous grandfather? Spoken to him? Written to him? Received written communication from him? Irr to all.

Did the murderer get some kind of corporal punishment? Irr.

Did he (the activist) live in the USA? Yes. His grandfather? Yes.


Mimino

Did the grandfather serve his sentence in a regular prison? in a penal colony? in some other place? Irr to all.
Was he ever released? Let's say yes for simplicity...I believe irr though.
Was the grandfather convicted before his grandson was born? before his son (or daughter) was born?
Was he convicted a long time after the actual murder? Irr to rest.

[AlbatrossLover]

Is the grandfather's race relevant? The victim's? Did either affect the severity of the grandfather's punishment?

Did the murder happen before the Civil War? During? After? Before the civil rights act?

[Mimino]

Is the grandson's profession or occupation relevant? (apart from being a civil rights activist)
Does he care for a specific aspect of civil rights? (like: free speech? equal opportunities? free elections? free access to education? ..)

[irishelk]

AlbatrossLover

Is the grandfather's race relevant? Yes; he is white. The victim's? No.Did either affect the severity of the grandfather's punishment? Irr.

Did the murder happen before the Civil War? Yes. During? After? Before the civil rights act?


Mimino

Is the grandson's profession or occupation relevant? (apart from being a civil rights activist) Not particularly.
Does he care for a specific aspect of civil rights? Yes, great q. (like: free speech? equal opportunities? free elections? This. free access to education? ..)

[Mimino]

Was the grandfather allowed to vote? Was the grandson?
Was the grandfather prevented from registering as a voter because he was in prison nearly his whole life?
Is any "grandfather clause" relevant? (i.e. the grandson was not allowed to register as a voter because his grandfather was not registered?)

[irishelk]

Mimino

Was the grandfather allowed to vote? No. Was the grandson? No!
Was the grandfather prevented from registering as a voter Yes. because he was in prison nearly his whole life? Or simply because felons couldn't/still usually can't vote.
Is any "grandfather clause" relevant? (i.e. the grandson was not allowed to register as a voter because his grandfather was not registered?) Yes!
Great leap, that's really all we need for the

***********************SPOILER

Our protagonist was living in the US South after the Civil War. During this time, there were many racist laws in place to prevent people of color from voting, including poll taxes. The "grandfather clause" in this context meant that if your grandfather had voted in US elections, you would not have to pay the poll tax. This was intended to disenfranchise black people, because their grandparents were invariably slaves who could not vote, and often they could not earn enough to meet the steep taxes. OP, a poor white farmer, was still caught in this trap because his grandfather had committed a murder and gone to prison, thereby losing his right to vote.

Like many of us, he realized how bad discrimination was only after it happened to him, and took up the fight for his own civil rights along with those of black southerners.