The Battle Over Teaching Evolution

The Scopes “Monkey” Trial

Trial of the Century
 The issue: Evolution
 Tennessee law passed
earlier that year
banned teaching
evolution
The Law

 Illegal for any teacher in public

school “to teach any theory
that denies the story of the
Divine Creation of man as
taught in the Bible, and to
teach instead that man has
descended from a lower order
of animals.”
The Case
 John Scopes, teacher and
coach in Dayton, TN
 Taught evolution from
Hunter’s Civic Biology, the
official biology text for state of
TN
 Intentional protest against
new law
 Town leaders conspired to
bring the case to town
Defense
Most famous attorney of his time
Attorney

CLARENCE
DARROW
Prosecuting
Most famous orator of his time
Attorney

WILLIAM
JENNINGS
BRYAN
Clash of the Titans
 Case argued by the
two most famous
figures possible: a
showdown of rivals
 Darrow represented
modernity
 Bryan represented
tradition
Clash of Cultures
 Opening statements pictured the trial as a titanic
struggle between good and evil or truth and
ignorance.
 Bryan claimed that “If evolution wins, Christianity
goes." Darrow argued, "Scopes isn't on trial;
civilization is on trial."

Vs.
Showdown: Modernists v.
Traditionalists
 In response to new social patterns of
modernism, a wave of revivalism developed
 Trial emerged as a conflict between social
and intellectual values
 Journalists looking for a showdown—who
would dominate American culture?
Traditionalists or modernists?

OR
Hordes of People Showed Up

 Fundamentalists
came from
hundreds of miles
 Passed out
pamphlets
Locals Supported Bryan

 Hung banner “Read Your Bible”

Carnival Atmosphere

 Songs, “You Can’t Make a

Monkey of Me”, “I’m No Kin
to a Monkey” etc.
 Dressed up chimpanzee each
day of the trial
 Gorillas in cages brought in
by train
Joe Merti, Chimpanzee
The Trial

 Judge refused to rule

law unconstitutional,
so trial went forth
 Opened with a prayer
 Banner: “Read Your
Bible”
Darrow’s Opening Speech
 "Fires have been lighted in America to kindle religious
bigotry and hate," Darrow said. "If today you can take a
thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in
the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to
teach it in the private schools. And after awhile, your
Honor, it's man against man and creed against creed
until we're marching backward to the time when bigots
burned the men who dared to bring any intelligence
and enlightenment and culture to the human mind!”
National Media’s Reaction

 The national media applauded Darrow's

speech
Local Reaction

 TN newspapers
had a different
reaction.
Memphis
Commercial
Appeal printed
cartoon of
Darrow as the
Anti-Christ
H.L. Mencken

 Baltimore journalist
 Very critical of Bryan
and creationists
 Brought descriptions
of trial to national
audience
 Portrayed
Southerners as
illiterate and ignorant
Darrow’s Goal

 Knew Scopes would be

convicted
 Wanted to use trial as a
national science lesson
on evolution
 Hoped to turn public
opinion against
creationists
 Journalists on his side
Bryan on the Stand

 Judge decided not to let any experts on

evolution testify
 Darrow called Bryan to the stand as an expert
on the Bible
Bryan’s Testimony

 At first said everything in the Bible should be

taken literally
 After Darrow’s relentless questioning, finally
conceded that Bible should not always be
taken literally
 Reported by the press as a defeat for Bryan 
 "As a man and as a legend, Bryan was
destroyed by his testimony that day.“
 Bryan died 6 days later
Aftermath

 Trial changed the way many people thought

about evolution, which eventually changed
laws
 Before trial 15 states had proposed anti-
evolution laws
 After trial only 2 states ended up passing laws
 Anti-evolution laws finally overturned
nationwide in 1968 in Epperson v. Arkansas
 I’m No Kin to a Monkey
CHORUS:
I'm no kin to the monkey no no no,
The monkey's no kin to me yeah
yeah yeah,
I don't know much about his
ancestors
But mine didn't swing from a tree.
It seems so unbelievable,
And yet they say that it's true,
They're teaching us about it in school now,
That humans were monkeys once too.
CHORUS
Although it's so ridiculous,
They're teaching us now that it's true,
The teachers that came from a monkey,
Would be better off in a zoo.
CHORUS
It seems so much more believable,
And surely, surely it's true,
That God made Man in His image,
No monkey story will do.
CHORUS
This monkey business has to go,
Because it just isn't true,
It's such a disgrace to the monkey,
A disgrace to the human race too.
CHORUS
Answer these questions in at least 2
complete sentences on notebook paper

1. Tell me at least two reasons why was this

song written.
2. What does this song reflect about American
culture in the 1925 and who would be most
likely to sing it?