Role Of Evolution In The Film 'Inherit The Wind'

In the 1920’s the very idea of evolution was heavily criticized due to a majority of the american population believing in creationism. It had become a tradition for parents to teach their kids about how people came from Adam and Eve. This tradition became under scrutiny when the theory of evolution was proposed by Charles Darwin. It was in direct contrast with creationism and was based in science. A debate started in the 1920s about which one was was true, and then an even bigger debate occurred when the question whether or not the theory of evolution should be taught in school, was raised. Even though in the 1920s, creationism was prevalently believed around the nation there were people that opposed this belief. These people were referred to as modernists because they would rather believe in science than traditional beliefs.
Some teachers who
The movie Inherit the Wind demonstrated this through Reverend Jeremiah Brown. Reverend Brown in the movie held daily sermons, and almost everyone in the entire town attended. There was even a sign outside of the courtroom that said “Read Your Bible”. Also, the amount of support for Matthew Harrison Brady, the attorney defending their religious beliefs, greatly outnumbered the amount of support for opposing counsel,Henry Drummond. This could be seen throughout the movie as Brady’s side of the courtroom was filled with avid supporters. Inherit the Wind further expanded on this idea by having numerous people gather in the center of town with anti-evolution and pro creationist signs at the beginning of the film. After the first the day of the trial reverend Brown had a sermon where John Thomas Scopes was damned to hell. Even though some of these parts are exaggerated in the movie for dramatic effect it still paints a clear picture about how people in this town value their