Role of indigent men with diminished intelligence in the south in the 1960s?

So I'm writing a reflection on the movie Gideon's Trumpet for class, and there are certain questions we need to answer (you don't need to know the movie to answer this question)

Explain the role of indigent men with diminished intelligence in the south in the 1960s. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? Do they have any freedoms that 21st century men do not have?

^ I was having difficulty answering this fully, so any help is greatly appreciated!