ipl-logo

Scopes Trial Of 1925 Essay

2114 Words9 Pages

July 10th, 1925 marks the day in which John Thomas Scopes, a science teacher, was put on trial for violating a Tennessee law. This law, the Butler Act, forbade the teaching of any theory that denied the biblical story of divine creation. However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a press release decrying the signing of the Butler Act, offering to defend any teacher prosecuted for teaching evolution. Scopes became the face of such a trial.The Scopes Trial of 1925 brought many journalists to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, in order to report on what they thought would be the battle of evolutionism versus fundamentalism or science versus faith. William Jennings Bryan, who argued for the prosecution, was a strong believer of …show more content…

The New York Times, which headlined the first day of the trial "Cranks and Freaks Flock to Dayton" described Daytonians as "thousands of unregulated or ill-balanced minds." In addition, the Times noted that the Tennesseans entering the courthouse were "sober-faced, tight-lipped, expressionless." In addition, the Times said that Tennesseans “came from mountain farms near Dayton, where work, usually begun at daylight, had been deserted so that gaunt, tanned, toll-worn men and women and shy children might be in the Rhea County Courthouse by 9 o’clock to see William Jennings Bryan’s duel to the death with enemies of the bible.” People who came to the trial were just people who came to see the brawl, and even though they were unaware of everything else that happened in the city. The Chicago Tribune news service was often more subtle, commenting: “At regular intervals loud, ringing tones from the courthouse steeple announce the hour to Dayton folk -- and announce it consistently 35 minutes ahead of central standard time. This little town, object of scorn to residents of great cities, is far from being backward in counting the hours.” Generally, Daytonians are depicted as people from a little town, much smaller and less important than the

Show More
Related

Brief Overview Of Monkey Town By Ronald Kidd

592 Words | 3 Pages

John T, Scopes was accused of teaching evolution and he was convicted. He filled in for a teacher and used the civic biology textbook. In the novel, Frances’s father, F.E Robinson of Robinson’s drug store sold the book, Robinson was also the head of the school board. Naturally there was a group of people that believed otherwise. The American Civil Liberties Union begun fighting against the Butler Act because they felt that is wasn't just that evolution was outlawed.

Read More

Comparison Of Summer For The Gods And Inherit The Wind

1938 Words | 8 Pages

The American Civil Liberties Union, along with the teacher, John Scopes (Bertram Cates), wanted to challenge the law in Tennessee that banned the teaching of evolution in public schools. The trial got the attention of the famous politician, William Jennings Bryan (Matthew Harrison Brady), and also got the attention of Clarence Darrow (Henry Drummond), who was considered to be the best criminal defense lawyer of his time. Brady and Darrow faced off in the “Monkey Trial”, also considered the “Trial of the Century”, in which the law was

Read More

How Did The Scopes Monkey Trial Affect Society

1660 Words | 7 Pages

On January 14, 1927, the Tennessee State Supreme Court in Nashville ruled to reverse the Monkey Trial ruling. There was a law in Tennessee at the time that stated only a decision made by the jury could impose a fine greater than fifty dollars upon the defendant. As the change was made on a technicality, the Butler Law had still not been ruled unconstitutional. The Scopes Monkey Trial made way for many more debates across America on the promotion of creation theories being taught in public

Read More

How Did The Scopes Trial And Its Effect On American History

203 Words | 1 Pages

The Scopes "Monkey" Trial The Scopes Trial was a monumentally important event in American history Effect on Education Effects on Society And Its Effects On Religion, Society, and Education Some effects were short-term, some were long-term Effects on Religion The major effect this court case had on religion in America, was that it pointed out the blatant refusal by many States (particularly in the South) to follow the guideline of "Separation of Church and State" set by the Founding Fathers. 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 (for example, Scopes' belief that evolution should be allowed to be taught in schools). Another religious repercussion

Read More

Prohibition, The Palmer Raids And The Scopes Trial

1296 Words | 6 Pages

Deportations and repressive measures serve the agenda of industrial elites. This showcases the impact the Palmer Raids had on the US as immigrants were being tried and deported for no cause other than suspicion of being communists, anarchists, or any other systematic beliefs other than democracy. The least impactful challenge that the U.S. faced during the roaring 20s was the John Scopes Trial, also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, took place in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, and centered on the legality of teaching evolution in public schools. John Scopes, a high school teacher, was charged with violating a Tennessee law that prohibited the teaching of evolution, as it contradicted biblical creationism. The trial became a media sensation and a battleground for debates between modern science and religious fundamentalism, with Clarence Darrow defending Scopes and William Jennings Bryan representing the prosecution, Scopes was found guilty and fined.

Read More

Scopes Trials Essay

548 Words | 3 Pages

However, fundamentalists disagreed. They took every word of the bible as true and blamed liberal views of modernists for a “decline in morals”. Both of these ideas were present during the Scopes Trials. In 1925, a Tennessee biology teacher, John Scopes, was arrested for illegally teaching the concept of evolution

Read More

The Scopes Trial

1102 Words | 5 Pages

The Scopes Trial John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, who found himself at the center of one of the 20th century’s most famous life-changing court hearings; The Scopes Trial. It was also known as the Monkey Trial, where biology teacher John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution in a public school located in Tennessee (Kemper). Prior to the trial, there was a anti-evolution law that was passed making Scopes actions illegal, this was known as The Butler Act. As a matter of fact, when Scopes went against this law it was the first step in moving towards modernism. As well as, causing America to move away from traditional values.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Tom Robinson Constitutional Trial

806 Words | 4 Pages

Have you ever wondered what a court room means to most people? Well, to most it’s an equalizer for any man or woman present, but there is a flaw to this system. This flaw is bias, the amount of evidence, and witnesses. Today we will talk of whether or not Tom Robinson had received a constitutional trial. If you don’t know “To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee, is a telling of age story, about a girl nicknamed “Scout” growing up, while slowly unlocking the secrets of her home town and the secrets of life.

Read More

The Legitimacy Of The Butler Act By William Jennings Bryan

364 Words | 2 Pages

William Jennings Bryan builds an effective argument proving the legitimacy of the Butler Act by persuading the audience that the act was created with a justifiable and tangible purpose in mind, rather than merely on a whim. He accomplishes this by appealing to pathos, more specifically the audience’s sense of entitlement. He proposes that the law is just, as a majority of people in Tennessee support it and since their taxes go towards paying teachers, they have a right to influence the public education system. He argues that the Legislation was acting in favor of the majority, which he furthered by using the collective word “we,” throughout his speech when referring to the people paying taxes to build a feeling of solidarity. By doing so,

Read More

How Did The Scopes Trial Affect Society

914 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Scopes Trial: Teaching Evolution In The 1920's

1573 Words | 7 Pages

Fearful that if the Tennessee law went unchallenged then soon other states would pass similar bills. The american Civil Liberties Union immediately announced it would defend any teacher charged with violating the Butler Act (3D). Many teachers who wanted to teach evolution and could not had to change how they taught everything because since they couldn't teach evolution the were scared if they taught a certain thing they feared they could be put to jail because the broke a law or offend someone's religion. The prosecution opened its case by asking the court to take judicial notice of the book of Genesis as it appears in King James version

Read More

Louis Riel Trial Essay

804 Words | 4 Pages

One of the most glaring aspects that underline the trial's unfairness was the biases and prejudices that pervaded the courtroom. During this era, the

Read More

The Roaring Twenties Dbq

1197 Words | 5 Pages

Modernists, however, were liberal Protestants who wanted to make Christianity more relevant to contemporary life and stay current with values. The Scopes trial of 1925 (also referred to as the Tennessee Evolution Case), while demonstrating the religious tension of the era, illustrated the conflict between Protestant fundamentalism and modern science (Document C). The trial involved the arrest of John

Read More

Scopes Monkey Trial Essay

635 Words | 3 Pages

The Scopes Monkey trial was one the biggest and most influential court cases of all time. John Scopes was a public high school teacher in dayton tennessee who was arrested and tried for breaking the butlers law. Passed in 1925 it made teaching evolution in any schools and colleges in the state of Tennessee illegal. This was because evolution challenges the idea of creationism which was the popular religion in the tennessee. this was a huge problem because it was written in the constitution that you must separate church and state.

Read More

Essay On Tom Robinson Trial To Kill A Mockingbird

885 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the story is set in the 1900’s, Maycomb, Alabama. During this time there was racism in the south and segregation which separated the whites and blacks from everything. There was also the Great Depression, the whole country was poor and people living in the country had to trade and do other jobs for people to either pay them off or to buy something from them. The trial in this book is about Mayella and Bob Ewell, two white people, claiming and arguing that Tom Robinson, a black person, raped Mayella Ewell. This trial is really important because at that time in the south, white people took advantage of black people and their kindness and thought they would take that or shut up just because they were black.

Read More

More about Scopes Trial Of 1925 Essay

Related Topics

Open Document