The Great Commoner Research Paper

In American history, religion has been an ideal deep seeded into culture. It completely dominated certain eras, and was even the basis of its conception. When the pilgrims came to North America, they intended for it to be a place of religious freedom, freedom for them that is. There has always been a power struggle between the ideals of science and religion. Throughout the history, there were countless hangings and other criminal punishments made against those who questioned religion. Whether they be starting their own new ideals, or simply attempting to put their faith into science, they were looked down upon and sometimes even hated by the general public. During modern times however, Americans have a freedom to think what they would like, with relatively no hate or discrimination. A big step towards this new way of thinking and policy of acceptance
could have developed from the Scopes Monkey Trials involving Mr. John Scopes and Clarence Darrow vs. William Jennings Bryan and the state of Tennessee. The lasting impact can be divided into different sections, which are its effect on American society, religion, education, and some laws. The trial was technically over the issue of Scopes teaching evolution in school, which was illegal at the time, but the case quickly became much more. Other than the actually legality of it, people began to make stances on the morality of this offense. Religious ideals were beginning to be put into question for one of the first times, and there was actually somewhat of a backing for John Scopes. This was a surprise at the time, especially in the state Scopes was in, because in Southern America at the time, most, if not all, things had some type of religious influence in it. The majority of this came from christianity, of course, and anything threatening it would be extinguished immediately. This trial immediately gained popularity throughout the country, and became an arguing point between modernists and fundamentalists, which were the two different theorist groups on religion of the time. Modernists believed that the idea of evolution is not inconsistent with the bible, while fundamentalists believed that the bible and god’s word is supreme over all human knowledge. On each side of the argument in court there were some really big players. On the side of Modernism, there was Clarence Darrow, one of the most prominent lawyers in American history, while on the side of the fundamentalists was William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate and prominent politician known throughout the United States. These big names helped to spark the interest the Scopes Monkey Trials, along with the huge divide between the modernists and fundamentalists and the fact that there was a fundamentalist “witch hunt” occurring during this time to try and prevent the modernist movement from spreading or gaining any more momentum.
There was a huge outcry for the head of Scopes, figuratively, and the fundamentalists needed someone as convicted in the cause for religion as they were.
Jennings-Bryan was the seemingly perfect candidate for the fundamentalist lawyer, as his devout faith and good political campaigns gave him the nickname “The Great Commoner”. This case would become the capstone of his very prestigious career, and serve as a structural backbone for his previous views on evolution which were illustrated by his participation in the World Christian Fundamentals Association, and having quotes such as “the (evolution) most paralyzing influence with which civilizations has had to deal with in the last century,… promulgated a philosophy that condemned democracy,… denounced christianity,… denied the existence of god, overturned all concepts of morality,... and endeavored to substitute the worship of the superhuman for the worship of Jehovah.” which he told the World Brotherhood Congress. The evidence was clear that Jennings-Bryan was obviously a devout Christian, and a complete opponent to the theory of evolution and anything it stood
for.
Clarence Darrow, on the other hand, had completely opposite views than Jennings-Bryan. Darrow was an agnostic, and believed in positive atheism. He was quoted as saying, “Do you, good people, believe that Adam and Eve were created in the Garden of Eden and that they were forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge? I do. The church has always been afraid of that tree. It still is afraid of knowledge. Some of you say religion makes people happy. So does laughing gas. So does whiskey. I believe in the brain of man. I'm not worried about my soul.” which show the incredible amount of disdain Darrow had for the church and for religion overall. He believed in questioning and investigating things, instead of believing the word of the church. Darrow could have perhaps felt obligated to defend John Scopes, whose main defense in the trials was that it is his right to have freedom when teaching, and Darrows could have felt like Scopes was simply questioning the status quo, instead of being on a quest with malice intent to destroy the church and Christianity as a whole, along with democracy and freedom.
Throughout the trial, the main focus of the hearing began to shift. In the beginning, it seemed clear cut and certain that Scopes was guilty, and court was just a formality, but as Darrow began to shift the focus from whether or not Scopes taught evolution to whether or not it was immoral, it began to get cloudy. Darrow began to have the jury take into consideration whether it was right for Scopes to teach evolution, and although there were many attempts by the judge, John T. Raulston , who was a devout fundamentalist, to warn the jury to remember the case was not the morality of the subject, but the legality of it. To do this, Darrow began to implement alternative methods. The most notable of these methods was when Darrow called Jennings-Bryan to the stand. He then continued to question Jennings-Bryan about the bible extensively in an attempt to dishonor the beloved christian politician. The questions included: Darrow: "You have given considerable study to the Bible, haven't you, Mr. Bryan?"
Bryan: "Yes, sir; I have tried to.... But, of course, I have studied it more as I have become older than when I was a boy."
Darrow: "Do you claim then that everything in the Bible should be literally interpreted?"
Bryan: "I believe that everything in the Bible should be accepted as it is given there; some of the Bible is given illustratively. For instance: 'Ye are the salt of the earth.' I would not insist that man was actually salt, or that he had flesh of salt, but it is used in the sense of salt as saving God's people." Darrow then continued to question Jennings-Bryan about other sections of the bible, and immediately pointed out any inconsistencies he exposed. This harsh interrogation tactic yielded amazing results, and Jennings-Bryan began to get flustered. The jury noticed this, and it became a key moment in the Scopes Monkey Trials. Although the jury eventually convicts John Scopes guilty of violating the Butler Act, which outlawed the teaching of evolution in school, the case was viewed as a major victory in the eyes of modernists. It, as well as the death of Jennings-Bryan short after, began the fall of fundamentalism. With this, the modernists were able to gain popularity, and many more people began to believe in the theory of evolution. Although new laws that allowed evolution to be taught weren’t passed for at least another 50 years, the Scopes Monkey Trials obviously sped up the process, and could’ve ultimately been the catalyst for modernist progression. It is the talking point, and main example for the fight between religious groups condemning the teaching of evolution and the scientific community which advocated it.