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¶ … Monkey Trial
In the 19th century, Charles Darwin shocked the world with his theory of evolution. Americans reacted particularly harshly by fiercely denying the theory of evolution and clinging to the Bible's creation story. The antagonism against the theory of evolution was so strong that lawmakers outlawed teaching it in public schools. In 1925, the state of Tennessee enacted a bill called the Butler Act. The act expressly forbade any teacher in a public school to teach the theory of evolution, "any theory that denies the story of divine creation as taught by the Bible and to teach instead that man was descended from a lower order of animals," (cited by Linder 2000).
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposed the Butler Act and agreed to offer legal counsel to any teacher that violated it. A man named George Rappalyea appreciated the offer and also saw an opportunity to bring publicity to his town (Linder 2000). Rappalyea called upon a school teacher named John Scopes to deliberately teach the theory of evolution and directly defy the Butler Act. What I found most interesting about this is that Scopes understood that he was breaking the law and knew that fighting the court case would be a lot of trouble. He was willing to risk his livelihood, career, and reputation in the community in the name of science. As a biology teacher he knew that he was ultimately doing the right thing. I find this to be an admirable act and shows a strong belief in the American system of democracy as much as belief in science. Because of John Scopes and the ACLU, the Supreme Court reversed the Butler Act.
I also find it interesting that the reaction to the theory of evolution was so strong that it led to the passing of that law. However, the same thing seems to be happening today, as many Americans continue to deny the theory of evolution. I find it interesting that so many Americans believe in the Bible's creation story as being literal truth and wish to teach it in school instead of in church, almost a hundred years after the Scopes Monkey Trial.
Reference
Linder, D. (2000). State v. John Scopes ("The Monkey Trial"). Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scopes/EVOLUT.HTM
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