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The Scopes Trial and Teaching Evolution

            In the 1920's, the theory of evolution was not taught in schools as preliminary measure to avoid children being exposed to more risky behavior than they already had at this time. The 1920's were a time of sex, drinking and partying; however the small town school of Dayton Tennessee had been worried about the loss of Christianity in the students present in that small classroom, and educators have to be sure to keep in mind that all evidence they present to their students have a strong basis in fact and should steer clear from any statements that suggest a religious affiliation. .
             As a result, if the Scope Trial had managed to make it to trial in present day, they would not have much of a case seeing as the evidence includes a lack of separation between education and religion and fringes a disregard to the Fifth Amendment. During the 1920's much of the laws regarding the separation of state and church were not as fined tuned as they are today due to the lack of cases regarding that issue, had they been the man referenced in the Scope trails would have a better case seeing that he was bound by his profession to teach the subject matter that had been in that text book. .
             In the Scopes Trial and in the 1920's alike a certain way of life has been taught to those children and with all the changing from the post war economy's success and celebration period that had been happening the people in the economy wanted to preserve a way of thinking for those small town children. While children in schools today are exposed to current events and other tragedies in order to protect them from what may happen the children in this small town were sheltered by their elders who only wanted them to believe one way. Dayton's theory that the children would be better off not knowing more than one way of seeing things directly opposes the current method of "teaching the controversy" and best exemplifies the way that the teaching has changed throughout time.


Essays Related to The Scopes Trial and Teaching Evolution

1. Scopes Trial

The Scopes Trial The Scopes-Monkey trial is perhaps the greatest trial ever in the 20th century. The trial was conducted because John Scopes, a high school biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, decided to teach Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Scopes decision caused in uproar in the local community because of an anti-evolution statute. With famed defense lawyer Clarence Darrow defending Scopes and William Jennings Bryan prosecuting, the trial was bound to make an impact on the legality of teaching Divine Creation or ... as a "Fundamentalist pope." He had persuaded numerous state legislat...

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2. The Scopes Trial

... to defend any teacher who challenged the law, and this is how the Scopes trial came about. The Scopes trial was known as one of the greatest trials of all time. The Scopes trial was known as the monkey trial. The Scopes trial was held July 10 to July 21 of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. The Scopes trial involved a high school teacher named John Thomas Scopes. He was being tried for teaching evolution in public schools. The theory of evolution stated that human beings developed ... from simpler forms of life over a long period of time. Back then, the only thing teachers could teach about was...

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3. The Scopes Trial

The Scopes Trial The Scopes Trial, widely know as the Monkey Trial, has been called the trial of the century, and opened the door to the conflict between creationism and evolution, even though the trial itself actually decided nothing. In fact upon appeal the trial was declared a mistrial due to the fact the judge sentenced Scopes to a $100 fine and there was a law which stated that any fine over $50 had to be set by a jury. So in effect the law banning the teaching of evolution was never even ... accomplish what it was legally meant to, it did officially start the battle between creationism ...

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4. The Scopes Monkey Trial

... the microphone picked up everything. On the first real day of the trial the defenses plan was to acquit Scopes of the charges of teaching evolution but to attempt to obtain a declaration by a higher court, preferably the U.S. Supreme Court, that laws forbidding the teaching of evolution were unconstitutional. Judge Raulston denied the motion of the defense as expected. The opening statement of the trial seemed like a large struggle between good and evil or truth and ignorance. Bryan said if Scopes won the ... Bible would be useless, Darrow then said if Bryan won the case all the work .....

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5. Scopes Trial

... me was that she was teaching sixth grade science. Was a new generation of students following the opinions of woman over what was accepted in society? The separation of church and state was being attacked at the lowest level with most impressionable minds. I was deeply troubled by this but I could not figure it out until the topic of the Scopes trial came up in my American ... the world. The Tennessee school districts did not block the teaching of evolution per se; they instead blocked all references to Darwinism and evolution of man from animals. The Butler law still allowed evolution t...

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6. The Scopes Monkey Trial

... ways the Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee limited the quality of the public education. John Scopes was a general science teacher in Dayton. He was arrested for violating the Butler Act, which makes teaching evolution in public school unlawful. The law was made by creationists, who believed that the world was created as described in the Bible. His court case would decide whether such a law was constitutional. Scopes taught the theories of Darwin, the originator of ... without teaching evolution," he said. During the interrogation, Scopes" students remarked that the lessons he taught did...

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7. John scopes

... saw the advertisement. With the school's biology teacher out for the last two weeks of class, Scopes took over and began teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. Soon after, he was arrested and charged with a violation of the Butler Act. Contrary to popular understanding, the worst punishment for this crime was a small fine. Upon his arrest, the ACLU took full responsibility for all monetary charges incurred during the course of the trial. The defense appointed the country ... 's greatest criminal lawyer of the time, Clarence ... ...

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8. The Monkey Man HImself: John Scopes and his effects on the w

... would test the law. One day shortly after the school year had ended, John was summoned too the local drugstore, which was like the town hall where most of the decision for the town were made. In the store were the leaders of the town cooking up a plan. John was asked what his feelings were on the teaching of evolution. He said, "Nobody could teach biology without teaching evolution" (Scoped 58). Then the men proceeded ... career, but failed each time. Bryan was a very religious man; he could quote the Bible up and down. Bryan felt that religion was the very thing that held America toget...

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9. Scopes Trial was an Injustice to the American Legal System

Follow, Don't Lead The Scopes trial, or "The Monkey Trial," demonstrates the unfairness of the American legal system. It was the summer of 1925, in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where John Scopes was prosecuted for illegally teaching his students the theory of evolution. The trial involved more than a man versus a state, but rather one set of ideas persecuting those who thought otherwise. The majority of American society, including those who were in power, had deep ... speech that he had labored on for some time, and the jury complied with Darrow's request. Judge Raulston fined Scopes...

  • Word Count: 1918
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  • Grade Level: High School

10. The Scopes Trial: A Battle Of The Ages

... the strict and quite over-bearing doctrine of fundamentalism. The central theme of their new movement was the literal interpretation of the Bible and, accompanying the movement, were ideals of temperance, gentility, and sexual repression.# With a large following, Fundamentalists easily passed laws to curb the rise of Modernism. One of the most influential laws of the era became the law against teaching evolution in schools. At the climax of the battle between Modernism and Fundamentalism was the Scopes Trial. Within the ... Modernist generation was a class of scientists in which secular...

  • Word Count: 1157
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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