The Theory Of Evolution Within Tennessee Public Schools

On March 13, 1925 the state of Tennessee passed the Butler Act. This law prohibited teaching the Theory of Evolution in Tennessee public schools. Any teacher who taught a theory that denied the story of the Divine Creation would be punished by a fine. The American Civil Liberties Union offered legal defense to any Tennessee teacher who would break the law and fight it in court. John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, and he intentionally taught his class about the theory of evolution, which led to his arrest and trial. John Thomas Scopes trial began on July 10, 1925, and I watched as the trial unfolded. The famous Clarence Darrow defended Scopes and Williams Jennings Bryan was leading the prosecution. Williams Jennings Bryan had run as the Democratic presidential candidate three times, and he was the fundamentalist hero. After a few days of the trial, many spectators and reporters flocked to Dayton. I watched as the Dayton’s streets became more and more crowded and I saw many preachers with revival tents, who taught how the Theory of Evolution went against the Divine Creation of man. The streets had become a carnival and everyone knew what was going on in Dayton, Tennessee because of the revolutionary radio. Right outside of the courthouse, there were two chimpanzees dressed in plaid suits entertaining the public with their antics around the lawn. Not only where their preachers and reporters, but people on the streets selling hot dogs, lemonade, bibles, andShow MoreRelatedCharles Darwin s Theory Of Evolution951 Words   |  4 Pagesremain religiously neutral in its actions. Perhaps nowhere else is this neutrality being challenged more vigorously than in America’s public school science classrooms. Of particular concern for school administrators and the educators whom they supervise, are the repeated efforts of Christian fundamentalists to replace the teaching of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection with Biblical Creationism. During the past ninety years, many legal cases have further defined the boundary ofRead MoreCreationism vs. Evolution Essay1170 Words   |  5 Pagesscientific theories. The Catholic Church had a nasty habit of persecuting such ideological dissent toward creationism, calling it heresy and thereby somewhat suppressing a complete upheaval of the Scriptures. For many centuries to come, the scientific research grew and developed into theories like the Big Bang and evolution, though primarily in places where such progress was tolerated. The state of Tennessee in 1925 was not such a place. In the town of Dayton in Tennessee, a high school biologyRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory Of Evolution1151 Words   |  5 PagesState of Tennessee passed a law called The Butler Bill that prohibited any teacher within the State of Tennessee to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man and that man descended from a lower order of animals.†1 Fundamentalism was the basis of The Butler Bill. Fundamentalism is the belief in the literal interpretation of religious texts. In June, a Tennessee high school substitute teacher named John Scopes was accused of teaching Charles Darwin s theory of evolution to studentsRead More Ernst Mayrs What Evolution Is Essay1212 Words   |  5 PagesErnst Mayrs What Evolution Is When Ernst Mayr published his book, What Evolution Is, in 2001 it was hailed as a work of genius. The praise, replete with superlatives, ranged from elegant, enthralling, and provocative to clear, comprehensive, and very informative.1 From all appearances it intended to be the theory of evolution offered up to the common man for general consumption and enlightenment; it was what would put the evolution/creationism debate to rest once and for all. It neitherRead MoreEssay on Science V. Religion: The Scopes Monkey Trial1397 Words   |  6 Pagesfocus on in this paper, however, is Evolution. It is a theory that had been around for over half a century before the 20’s but had only more recently caught on in the US. It contradicted the Christian theory of Divine Creation as described in the Bible. This caused many religious fundamentalists to fight against it. They took their battle to the law books, and they were challenged by pro-evolution modernists in the Scopes Monkey Trial o f 1925. The theory of Evolution was developed by Charles DarwinRead MoreEssay on Creationsim vs. Evolution794 Words   |  4 PagesCreationsim vs. Evolution For a long time school administrators, teachers, parents and even students have argued for and against the teaching of either creation and/or evolution. Evolution has been taught in many public schools for generations because of the scientific methods and support it has as a scientific theory of how we as humans came to be. Many religions hold different views of how humanity as we know it was created and these people believe that students should be able toRead More Religion Has No Place in Public Schools Essay1020 Words   |  5 Pagesseparation of church and state, which has resulted in many debates over the limitations of religion in the public schools (Hamburger). There is research that supports both the arguments that students can benefit academically from the influence of religion and from keeping religious teachings separate from public schools. Early in Americas history, when it first became a country, public schools were administrated by Protestants. As a result, Protestant prayers and services became incorporated intoRead MoreThe Case Of Epperson V. Arkansas953 Words   |  4 PagesIn the wake of the Scopes trial in Tennessee, the State of Arkansas passed an â€Å"anti-evolution† statute in 1928, that made it illegal to teach the theory or doctrine that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animals, or to adopt or use in any such institution a textbook that teaches the doctrine or theory that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animal.† Forty years later, the case of Epperson v. Arkansas (1968) was argued before the Supreme Court. 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