Scopes Trial Analysis
In 1920s America, the Americans had just won the Great War, women had become victorious in the fight for their rights, and the younger generations of Americans were starting to stray from the orthodox ways of life. As a result of the new modern ways developing in America, the conflicting views of the traditional orthodox south and the modern urban north began to clash. These conflicting views, which primarily revolved around morals and religious beliefs, came into light with the Scopes Trial. Prior to the Scopes Trial, John Washington Butler proposed a bill to the state of Tennessee that it would be “...a crime there 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
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Even though Scopes had taught the theory of evolution, his defense lawyers in the case pleaded “...an act of this sort is clearly unconstitutional in that it is a restriction upon the liberties of the individual…”(Jeffrey P. Moran, Pg.82). On the other hand the prosecutors stated that teachers “...cannot teach any religion in the schools, therefore you cannot teach any evolution, or any doctrine that conflicts with the Bible.”(Jeffrey P. Moran, Pg.82). With the defense supporting science and the prosecution supporting the traditional Bible, this case has made it clear that in Dayton, Tennessee 1925 the teachings of science and religion can not simply coexist in a classroom. With teaching both religion and science in a classroom, it is inevitable that a student learning the story of the Bible and then learning the theory of science, would start to question which one holds the truth. In a letter written by Mrs. Jesse Sparks about the Butler act says, “...I could not see why the mothers in greater number were not conveying their appreciation to the members for this act of safeguarding their children from one of the destructive forces…”(Moran, Pg.204), which shows the concern from the religious point of view that the teaching of evolution might destruct the religious beliefs parents had taught their children. The reason why this topic had become so controversial was that the teaching of science conflicted with the views of the religious orthodox south which had been very dominant in 1925. This being said, science and religion in a classroom could not coexist in that day and
Even though Scopes had taught the theory of evolution, his defense lawyers in the case pleaded “...an act of this sort is clearly unconstitutional in that it is a restriction upon the liberties of the individual…”(Jeffrey P. Moran, Pg.82). On the other hand the prosecutors stated that teachers “...cannot teach any religion in the schools, therefore you cannot teach any evolution, or any doctrine that conflicts with the Bible.”(Jeffrey P. Moran, Pg.82). With the defense supporting science and the prosecution supporting the traditional Bible, this case has made it clear that in Dayton, Tennessee 1925 the teachings of science and religion can not simply coexist in a classroom. With teaching both religion and science in a classroom, it is inevitable that a student learning the story of the Bible and then learning the theory of science, would start to question which one holds the truth. In a letter written by Mrs. Jesse Sparks about the Butler act says, “...I could not see why the mothers in greater number were not conveying their appreciation to the members for this act of safeguarding their children from one of the destructive forces…”(Moran, Pg.204), which shows the concern from the religious point of view that the teaching of evolution might destruct the religious beliefs parents had taught their children. The reason why this topic had become so controversial was that the teaching of science conflicted with the views of the religious orthodox south which had been very dominant in 1925. This being said, science and religion in a classroom could not coexist in that day and