What was at Stake: John Scopes Trial
James P. Collins
What Was at Stake? Analyzing the Significance of the Scopes Monkey Trial for American Education
Analytical Introduction
This article was written to remind students and teachers of the past historical events which served to shape current American education trends, standards, policies, and norms. In writing this piece, I hope to highlight a pivotal point in American education history when the right to think and question and status quo was threatened. I carefully contemplated my audience and wrote my paper for this particular demographic of the population. I knew that my audience was educated and had at least a nominal understanding of the Scopes Monkey Trial. I assumed that most people had read or watched Inherit the Wind sometime in their life and were privy to the basic tenants of the court case; therefore, I did not go into detail explaining the specifics of the court trial. Instead, I used my page space to highlight just how important the verdict was and the specific rights which were at stake. The paper topic was chosen in response to Chapter Four: Making History. I firmly believe that the Scopes Trial is one of the most significant events in American education history and was motivated to explore it in more thorough detail. I used several methods and modes to develop my paper. First, I started out with a directed introduction and strong thesis statement, followed by an outline of three specific areas I would explore in the paper. I then took the time to carefully walk my reader through these three points and show how they built on one another. Finally, I concluded my paper by drawing all the elements together and summarizing my overarching message.
What Was at Stake? Analyzing the Significance of the Scopes Monkey Trial for American Education
Analytical Introduction
This article was written to remind students and teachers of the past historical events which served to shape current American education trends, standards, policies, and norms. In writing this piece, I hope to highlight a pivotal point in American education history when the right to think and question and status quo was threatened. I carefully contemplated my audience and wrote my paper for this particular demographic of the population. I knew that my audience was educated and had at least a nominal understanding of the Scopes Monkey Trial. I assumed that most people had read or watched Inherit the Wind sometime in their life and were privy to the basic tenants of the court case; therefore, I did not go into detail explaining the specifics of the court trial. Instead, I used my page space to highlight just how important the verdict was and the specific rights which were at stake. The paper topic was chosen in response to Chapter Four: Making History. I firmly believe that the Scopes Trial is one of the most significant events in American education history and was motivated to explore it in more thorough detail. I used several methods and modes to develop my paper. First, I started out with a directed introduction and strong thesis statement, followed by an outline of three specific areas I would explore in the paper. I then took the time to carefully walk my reader through these three points and show how they built on one another. Finally, I concluded my paper by drawing all the elements together and summarizing my overarching message.
References: Armytage, W. H. (1978). Backup to Butler: The biosocial background of the Butler Act. Westminster Studies in Education, 1(1), 5-21. Johnson, A. J. (2007). The Scopes "Monkey Trial." Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics. Tennessee Butler Act. (1925, January 1). Tennesse Anti-evolution Statute - UMKC School of Law. Retrieved June 8, 2014, from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/tennstat.htm