The Scopes Trial
Scopes Trial The Scopes Trial is a famous trial that had one main topic to focus on: evolution. This trial was brought on because John Scopes taught his students about evolution. The trial happened in 1925 in Tennessee. For creationists and evolutionists, this was a huge trial because it was the first major account of the teaching of evolution. Although this seems as a simple matter between creationists and evolutionists, there is more to meets the eye. The Scopes Trial was more complicated. The three reason why the trial was more complicated than just a simple debate between evolutionists and creations are being able to bring up and discuss the newly passed law that evolution was not to be taught in schools, evolutionists could finally point out examples of evolution through science to show how it is important to learn, and to bring up an argument of traditional and modern views. The first reason it was more complicated was that because someone finally got caught and this brought up the discussion of the newly passed law of being prohibited from teaching about evolution. From a website I found online, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/2/l_082_01.html, I found out that evolutionists brought up the new law. “Narrowly, the trial was about challenging a newly passed Tennessee state law against teaching evolution or any other theory denying the biblical account of the creation of man”; this was the law that was passed in Tennessee which created a more big controversy than the actual act John Scopes himself. But, this was a perfect opportunity for evolutionists to make a stand and to create a more modern way of thinking. The second reason is that evolutionists could finally show examples and prove evolution. The website says, “But Clarence Darrow and the ACLU had succeeded in publicizing scientific evidence for evolution, and the press reported that though Bryan had won the case, he had lost the argument.” This shows that even though the