The Scopes Trial

6 Pages 1607 Words

The Scopes Trial began as a lighthearted plot by a small group of men looking to bring attention to the town of Dayton, Tennessee, but it quickly spiraled into one of the most debated, heated and famous trials of the twentieth century. It was a trial that had been in the making since Charles Darwin first proposed the theory of evolution. It was a battle between the modernists and the traditionalists. Soon began the trial that would go down in history to become known as “The Great Monkey Trial” (Pierce 1), (Linder 1)
Charles Darwin had stirred great controversy with his theory of evolution that he presented in 1858. His theory about human evolving from monkeys sparked arguments between scientists and religious leader. Many people thought it to go against the Adam and Eve story in the Bible. Included with those people who did not agree with Darwin were Fundamentalists. (McGowen 19)
Fundamentalism was started by American Christians who thought that the Bible had to be true. During the 1920s, Fundamentalists were a major force in American religion and soon began attacking the teachings of evolution in school. In January of 1925, John Butler, Tennessee House of Representatives member introduced a bill that made it illegal to, “teach any theory that denies the story of the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible.” (Pierce 2) The Butler Act was passes into law by Governor Austin Peay, although it was not expected to be enforced. However, in April of 1925, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) offered its services of legal and financial assistance to any teacher who would test the law. (Pierce 2), (McGowen 31)
Then on May 5th, 1925, George Rappalyea, manager of an iron company on Dayton, Walter White, the superintendent of schools in Rhea County, and Sue Hicks, a lawyer in the town, were sitting in the local drugstore and discussing the new law that was passed. The gentlemen continue to argue their opinions on evolution w...