Today, July 10th, is the 80th anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey Trial". It is interesting to note that the court case still reverberates today in the continuing conflicts between evolution vs. creationism.
Tennessee high school teacher John Scopes, became the test case on the legality of Tennessee's anti-evolution law. William Jennings Bryan (pictured with Clarence Darrow at right) was the prosecutor and Clarence Darrow was Scopes' defense attorney. The stage was set in March of 1925, as the Tennessee State legislature had passed a law making it illegal to "...teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals" (Butler Act).
The ACLU offered to defend anyone who was accused of teaching evolution in violation of the Tennessee law. A few professionals from the town viewed the ACLU offer as an opportunity to give publicity to their town. During one of their meetings Scopes was invited. Though he wasn't a regular biology teacher, he did teach as a substitute and used the state approved textbook, which referenced evolution. Essentially, the teachers were being forced to violate the law. During a meeting at Robinson's Drug Store in Dayton, Tennessee, an agreement was made to allow Scopes to be the test case.
The trial, which ramped up to engulf elements of religion vs. secular beliefs, became a spectacle with a cynical Darrow calling Bryan as an expert witness on the bible. The ensuing questioning of Bryan was, obviously, antagonistic and heated. The trial aroused national interest and caused significant controversy over Darwin's evolution theory. Scopes was judged guilty and fined $100. His conviction was overturned on appeal based on a technicality (the judge set the fine instead of the jury). Scopes accepted a scholarship to the University of Chicago, received a master's degree in geology and took a job as a petroleum engineer in Venezuela.
Bryan died six days after the trial ended. Some say it was because of the ridicule he received at the hands of Darrow during the cross-examination. The more likely culprit was the continued health problems associated with his long fight with diabetes.
Any mention of the trial is almost required by cultural law to talk about the movie "Inherit the Wind". People seem to either hate it or love it. I really enjoyed the movie but I don't mistake it to be an actual historical account of the events surrounding the Scopes trial. But still, it's a good movie with some great actors.
Today, the arguments between evolution and creationism have, well, evolved to include intelligent design, which just seems to be creationism but with a better vocabulary. Regardless, the debate continues and as legal challenges continue this is another topic that seems to have no end in sight.
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