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How Did The Scopes Trial Affect Society

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July 1, 1925 John Thomas Scopes a substitute high school biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was accused of violating Tennessee's a Butler Act, a law in which makes it unlawful to teach human evolution and mandated that teachers teach creationism. John Thomas Scopes was put on trial and eventually found guilty. The Scopes trial remains a controversial and historical event to this day.

The theory of human evolution was developed by biologist Charles Darwin.On December 27, 1831 Darwin set out on a five year trip on the HMS Beagle. By the end of his trip he theorized that evolution is the process by which organisms change over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits (Biography.com). On the flip side of the coin …show more content…

While they believed they were doing what was best, they were infringing upon the rights of everyone who did not hold the same beliefs as them.
Another religious repercussion the Scopes Trial had was the fact that, even to this very day, those who hold the fundamental belief system of their religions especially Christianity protest and heatedly debate over evolution being taught in schools, when creationism is not allowed to be taught in the sciences. The fact that the way students should be taught in science, and what should be taught in school is still a controversial topic in today. It shows how large and important the Scopes case was in the minds of the American …show more content…

L. Mencken's article "The Scopes Trial: Aftermath," he states how, while it may be the right of every person to hold the beliefs/religion/superstitions they may choose for themselves, they have NO right to force their own viewpoints and beliefs onto others, as that infringes upon their right to have different beliefs (Mencken). This pointed out to the American public the unconstitutional actions of the fundamentalist South, and many realized it was time for, at least a small, change. The effect the Scopes Trial had on education in America is clear. Before the trial, it was the commonly held belief that evolution should not be taught in the public school system because of its undermining of the religious concept of creation. This famous court case was really the first time anyone had publicly second-guessed their deeply held fundamental beliefs (such as the prosecuting attorney, William Jennings Bryan). With the events that unfolded in this case, the thought of allowing the teaching of evolution and abolishing the laws that made it illegal became more reasonable to the public and the government. While it may have taken several decades in some states to reach this point, the seed of the thought that all people have different beliefs, and that should be respected, was sewn with the infamous Scopes

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