...The Scopes Trial By：Wang Congcong The Scopes Trial (Monkey Trial) and its aftermath caused our nation to closely examine the ties between religion and science. The Scopes Trial was the case of a high school biology teacher John Scopes against the state law against teaching Evolution in classroom. The case drew a lot of public attention. Even though the Scopes trial failed, succeeded in getting people to ask themselves, " what should I believe". In 1859, Charles Darwin released his work" Origin of the Species" old man of human are monkeys. Major people are fundamentalist, support the Bible, they believe God created human the story of Garden of Eden. Darwin''s theory subverted the story from Bible.So his speech had problems with church of England, Evolution is a new thing for the whole society, most people thought it 's a joke, and few people really considered became whose try to defend Darwin's theory and spread the ideas of Evolution. In the late days, Darwin's speak of evolutionary adaptation through natural selection became central to modern evolutionary theory, now concept of the life sciences. In 1925, Tennessee passed a law, the Butler Act, that make illegal to teach Darwin's theory of evolution in public school. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) thought the law violated people's rights. " The 1st Amendment to the constitution protects that separation when it says. Congress shall make no...
Words: 701 - Pages: 3
...The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion. New York: BasicBooks, 1997. Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion, by Edward J. Larson, tells of the court trial of Clarence Darrow defending John Scopes against the radical populist William Jennings Bryan. Scopes had been challenged for going against the law by teaching evolution to students in a public school. The length of text begins with Scope studying the scientific findings of Charles Dawson, who examined skull pieces that may have filled the gap between apes and humans. This is what motivated Scopes with the fascination of evolution. But then there were people like William Jennings Bryan who come into play and take the religious side, wanting to go against the idea of evolution. Society wasn’t exactly mostly favoring the idea of evolution since there were laws against spreading the idea as Scopes had. This is, of course, how Scopes ended up in court. However, the text does not end with the ruling of the trial. The text stretches to the anti-evolution movement continuing on with Bryan trying to start his crusade, and eventually gets to how schools restructure what society thinks should be the new benchmarks of education. Basically, the text tells the history of these two ideas, but in the end, neither is right or wrong since everyone has the liberty for their own beliefs. The 1920s hosted a famous court case between John Scopes and...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...It was actually Mencken who coined the term “Monkey Trial. (Crompton 26)” He was an incredibly influential journalist in his time,who attacked a variety of groups of people, and wrote an essay on the aftermath of the Scopes Trial, also having sharp comments that proved the existence of tension in the 1920’s. He writes in this piece, “The Liberals, in their continuing discussion of the late trial of the infidel Scopes at Dayton, Tenn., run true to form. That is to say, they show all their habitual lack of humor and all their customary furtive weakness for the delusions of Homo neanderthalensis...The World is displeased with Mr. Darrow because, in his appalling cross-examination of the mountebank Bryan, he did some violence to the theological superstitions that millions of Americans cherish. (Mencken)” Despite being known for controversial views, Mencken preaches the truth here. Clearly for this case to become so publicized, it must’ve had a huge effect on personal beliefs. Therefore, if Scopes has done violence to people’s beliefs and philosophies, namely the religious/rural, to millions of people, this is a solid marker of evidence, that this Monkey Trial showed a social dispute and hostility during the 1920’s. A quote insinuating huge magnitude, to news coverage by a magazine, to an article by one of the nation’s biggest journalists, the evidence...
Words: 1854 - Pages: 8
...The Scopes “Monkey” Trial was an American legal case in 1925 which involved a 24-year old high school teacher named John Thomas Scopes who was prosecuted for teaching the theory of evolution. The trial took place in Dayton, Tennessee on July 25th 1995. Scopes was accused of violating the Tennessee’s Butler Act by teaching Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. The Butler Act forbids the teaching of theory that goes against the biblical story of Creationism. Scopes was found guilty and was charged a fine of $100. In 1925, the Tennessee legislature passed the Butler Act which prohibits the teaching of the theory of evolution in all the universities, normal and all other public school in Tennessee. Any teacher who fails to abide the law would be fined not less than a $100 or more than $500. Other southern states followed suit. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) offered to defend the teaching of evolution. Scopes agreed to purposefully incriminate himself so the ACLU could challenge the Butler’s Act....
Words: 543 - Pages: 3
...The Scopes Monkey Trial The Trial of the Century, Scopes Monkey Trial, The Monkey Trial these are a few names the State of Tennessee v. John Thomas legal case could be called. This court case was an unusual one because the State of Tennessee had passed an antievolutionary law named the Butler Act that outlawed the teaching of evolution in the classroom (New World Encyclopedia). While the scopes trial looked like ballyhoo, because of its substance it was actually important to America because of its substance and final showdown. The Scopes Trial had almost a circus or carnival like element to it. Especially in the town of Dayton Tennessee where the trial was being held because of a multitude of revival tents and other various things (Pierce)....
Words: 407 - Pages: 2
...Summary of Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate over Science and Religion by Edward J. Larson (New York, Basic Books: 1997, 318 pp.) Part I: Before… Chapter One: Digging Up Controversy Decades before the Scopes Trial, Charles Darwin discovered fragments of a prehistoric human skull which became known as the "Piltdown skull." It was believed to originate from an ape due to its size and shape, but the jaw appeared to resemble an undiscovered ape. As popularity of the subject grew, newspapers started to take notice saying that the skull was a missing link between humans and ape, and that Darwin's theory of evolution had now been proven correct. As the United States took notice, controversy related to religion...
Words: 1018 - Pages: 5
...Famous American Trials AndraLeigh Brown Date Due 2/24/14 The Salem Witch Trials The salem witch trials of 1692 were a very dark timw in American history. More than 200 people were accused of witchcraft practice and over 19 people were killed during this chaos. Salem, Massachusetts wasn’t alone in the witch hunt. A wave of trials swept Europe for nearly 300 years. This hysteria first began in January of 1692 when a group of young girls fell ill after playing a fortune telling game. They began behaving strangely. They later came known as the “afflicted girls”. The first of the girls to began experiencing symptoms was Betty Parris, fallowed by Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Mary Lewis. Shortly after Elizabeth Hubbard, Susannah Sheldon, Mary Warren and Elizabeth Booth all started having the same symptoms. In February Samuel Parris called for a doctor to exam the girls. The doctor was unable ti find anything wrong with the girls and suggested they may be bewitched. Two of the girls named the women they thought were bewitching them. These women were Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn and a slave woman named Tituba who worked for the Parris family. On March 1st these three women were arrested and examined. During this Tituba confessed that her and the other two women had been approached by Satan and they all agreed to do his bidding as witches. In April and May more Men and women were accused this...
Words: 1174 - Pages: 5
...Up until the 1920’s science and religion worked in harmony. Everything that science had to say worked upon the beliefs of traditional religious standards. Darwin, a famous scientist, introduced the idea of evolution which completely shook the Christians society. This split the people up into two main groups, traditionalists and modernists. The two sides even went to court over the debacle, the trial was called, the Scopes Trial. At the end of the day, what is the difference between the two divisions and what builds up the tension so high that they need to take their matters to trial? The first side of the Scopes Trial was the traditionalists represented by, the law of Tennessee. The traditionalists believed that science should work based on...
Words: 382 - Pages: 2
...The ACLU, which only formed five years prior was determined to defend any teacher willing to challenge this law; Such a teacher, was a young Biologist at Dayton High School, John T. Scopes who agreed to be tried for violating the Butler Act and was charged. The ACLU, for all its efforts, at the time had little success, took the case and hired Clarence Darrow, a famous trial lawyer of the era, to defend Scopes in, The State of Tennessee v John Thomas Scopes, commonly referred to, as The Scopes Trial. The prosecution countered with, Christian fundamentalist, William Jennings Bryan, who proposed that only creationism should be taught in school....
Words: 430 - Pages: 2
...between forces of tradition and modernity. This tension was represented in whole by the Scopes Trial. The Scopes Trial was a court case where the Attorney General of Tennessee charged a high school biology teacher named John Scopes for going against the law of not being able to teach Darwin’s theory of evolution in school. Darwin’s theory of evolution stated that complex forms of life, like human beings, developed from simpler forms of life. Darwin’s modern theory clashed heavily with the fundamentalist, or traditionalist, view in the Bible, where God creates humans. The law of not being able to teach Darwinism in public schools was passed in 1925 by the state of Tennessee. The ACLU, or American...
Words: 1508 - Pages: 7
...The Scopes Monkey Trial 1925 The Scopes Monkey Trial demonstrates how religious fundamentalists used the power of the state to promote their view of society. Like the Prohibition laws used to legislate morality laws against the teachings of evolution in high schools attempted to legislate thinking. The Tennessee antievolution law (the Butler Act) came to national prominence in 1925. The American civil liberty union wanted to test the law and needed a teacher willing to be arrested for breaking the law. John T. Scopes the 24-year-old science teacher and a football coach at Dayton High School agreed to be the defendant in the case. He had thought the evolution theory at the school and had therefor broken the new law the punishment under the law was a 100$ fine under the law. In the summer of 1925 the case was brought to the Dayton courthouse with 150 members of the press in attendance. The state prosecutor was a fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan. Farmers in the families rushed though the heat wave as they were looking forward to Brian defending their bible against the idea “Everyone’s great grand pappy was a monkey”. Judge John. T. Raulston from Fiery Grizzard stated that the issue was not the truth of the evolution or the wisdom of the law it simply if the John T. Scopes had broken the law. Scopes agreed that he taught the theory of evolution and was fined a 100$. Brian had won the case but it was a hollow victory as Scopes defense Clarance Darrow had made the...
Words: 349 - Pages: 2
...Skill Level 1 The Amistad Trials A: With the Amistad Trials, there were no names mentioned for the defendants but there were fifty-three black men that were on board the Amistad that had managed to free themselves from their chains. They found a knife in the hold and they used it to take command of the ship and murdered the captain. http://www.hlla.com/reference/lawinamerica.html B: The fifty-three Africans were arrested on charges of murder and piracy, and they were taken and held in the county jail in New Haven, Connecticut. http://www.hlla.com/reference/lawinamerica.html C: The judge stated that the United States did not have jurisdiction over the murder and piracy charges because the offenses occurred in a Spanish ship, sailing in Spanish waters. They only gave this ruling because the Africans didn’t speak English. Once the Africans found an interpreter and told their horrific story to the judge. After that, the judge ruled that the Amistad Africans were "born free and ever since have been and still of right are free and not slaves." The United States attorney filed an immediate appeal, and the case of the Amistad was destined for the United States Supreme Court. http://www.hlla.com/reference/lawinamerica.html Charles Manson Trial A: With the Charles Manson Trails, there were the four defendants of Charles Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel ("Katie"), Leslie Van Houten and Susan Atkins (aka Sadie Mae Glutz) http://www...
Words: 2217 - Pages: 9
...Evan Boiko HIS 112-005 10-16-11 The Scopes Trial The Scopes Trial was one of the most famous trials in the history of the United States due to the intense passion and concern that people had for it. The defense was defending personal freedom and democracy while the prosecution imposed on these values. In the end, even though John Scopes and his defense team lost the trial, they won in the long run by influencing decisions made in the future regarding free speech in the classroom and what teachers were required to teach. Many people had intense feelings for the Scopes Trial. These feelings and concern people had for the trial made it one of the most famous trials in America. Some people simplified the trial to Darwin vs. the Bible. This issue made the Scopes trial a large concern to many because Darwin undermined the literal reading of the bible. Darwin's theory of evolution more specifically struck at two major parts of the Bible, the seven days of creation story, and the story of Adam and Eve and how they were the first humans on earth. Many people also considered Darwin's theory to be a "moral outrage" because of how the process of natural selection worked. For natural selection to occur, the unfit of the species were killed off in extremely large numbers. With this information, Darwin was suggesting that "nature revealed a God who was cruel and wasteful or absent altogether." This particular notion created strong opposition to Darwin's theory because of the possibility...
Words: 1647 - Pages: 7
...Scopes Trial Name Institutional Affiliation Scopes Trial America was just recovering from the after effects of the world war. It was a common trend for people specifically from the rural areas to be nostalgic. Their desire was to maintain simplicity and engage in the normal activities they used to before the war. The religious turned to their religious practices and beliefs. The south and mid westerners are specifically remembered for their strong beliefs. Faith was associated with providing consolation and peace. Consequently, the rise of fundamentalist religion took shape. The fundamentalists relied on the literal aspects of the biblical teachings. The theory of evolution was therefore seen as ridicule to their faith. They considered it a threat especially because they believed they were the only one teaching the truth. The believers looked into ways through which they could terminate the theory of evolution from the society thus; they began with the education sector. Laws were passed in the South outlawing teaching of Darwinian theories in class by 1925. The towns of Tennessee, and Florida regarded the law significantly. In the summer of the same year, a school tutor by the name John Scopes of Dayton violated it. Consequently, Scopes was put under trial. The prosecution intentionally staged the case to attract the attention of the public throughout Tennessee. Although Scopes doubted to having taught the Darwinian theory, he incriminated himself, therefore serving as...
Words: 645 - Pages: 3
...US History Since 1877 Critical Essay #1 Dr. Bachhofer Scopes Monkey Trial Religious controversy has been around from the birth of this country and beyond. This country was founded by people, at least in part, trying to get religious freedom from Europe. People, even today in modern society, want the right to believe whatever they want and not have someone else’s beliefs shoved down their throats or the throats of their children. This need for religious freedom and the age old controversy of religious battles sparked a huge trial in the mid 1920’s famously known as the “Monkey Trial”. By 1921, Protestantism split up into two distinct groups. One of these groups was known as the modernists and the other was known as the fundamentalists. Both groups were caught up in a fight with each other for the countries attention. Like any fight over something important, both groups thought they were right. The Modernists were made up primarily of urban, middle-class people. Modernists were attempting to change religion around to fit their society that was based around science mainly. They believed that there was a chance that Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory had some merit. Above all else the rejected the idea that everything in the bible was 100% accurate. They left the door open for alternate interpretations of the bible, something that the fundamentalists despised. The fundamentalists (also known as the “defenders”) on the other hand consisted mostly of rural farmers...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3
