Did You Know That Today is a Historic Time?

Question

On this day in 1925, John Thomas Scopes, a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was put on trial for teaching evolution to his students. He was found guilty, fined $100, but eventually, the verdict was reversed.

It was actually a trial between lawyers. There was William Jennings Bryan, who was an orator, noted for making long, flowery speeches. There was Clarence Darrow, famed for his courtroom skill, who was an agnostic. There was Scopes, who battled for the right to teach his students scientific theory.

One cannot help but wonder what the verdict from such a trial would be in today's world. The Christian Right has inserted many Biblical phrases in our textbooks and believe that God is banned from schools because of the Separation of Church and State, meant to ensure religious freedom.

If you were on the jury of a trial similar to Scopes', would you be in favor of banning the teaching of Evolution to students, or would you agree with Darrow, who called the trial a "witchhunt"?

Answer 1

I'm Catholic, and I'm studying biology in college, so I know evolution is a fact. It'd be wrong to ban it, because it's true and vital to modern biology. I'm from Italy, and I've seen that many more people accept evolution in Europe than they do in America. Turkey and America have the highest percentages of disbelievers in evolution.

Answer 2

I'm not agreeing with Darrow &/or witchhunting.  I would, if a juror, vote in favor of teaching evolution as a non-proven belief of many scientists.  I am also in favor of keeping church & state seperate.

Answer 3

As a native Tennessean I wish the Scopes "monkey trial" had happened some where else. From the first the majority of us have been embarrassed by it. I would duck the whole issue by teaching both in the name of free speech. It was and is a stupid conflict. Still it did prove the right to disagree and freedom existed in America when you think of it. At least no one has been burned at the stake for evolution or against it here yet. The way some folks want every body to agree with them though it might yet happen.....Volunteer state does not stand for a football team. But we don't like our freedom messed with for the most part. That is what we fight for. There is an old saying that what the government in DC and Nashville does not know won't bother them or us. That expresses our attitude in a nut shell. And unfourantely for George W. Bush we expect a leader to lead and in war to be like Andrew Jackson, David Glasgow Farrauget, or Nathan Bedford Forrest. In other words to keep our respect requires being a genius at war and leading from the front. Even the majority of the Tennesseans who voted for him in 2001 have decided he is a military idiot and don't like his policies. We don't want another King George. We helped send the last one packing with his Earls, Lords, and Sir's and we don't want the same grown in America.....

Answer 4

Great question. While I agree that evolution should be taught to every person who wants to know scientific fact, I can not ridicule someones religion as nothing but myth and legend. So in science class lets teach Evolution theory, and in church or religion class lets teach creationism.

Answer 5

You know... Scopes was found guilty at that trial!