A: A Monkey’s Uncle
This assignment counts for all four requirements for this topic. Read and respond to the provided information in a 1000-word essay. Frame your essay using the questions provided below.
There are certain topics that can lead to a heated discussion within a matter of minutes. Abortion, affirmative action, and capital punishment all evoke certain gut emotions especially when one is “debating” the topic with someone on “the other side.” The theory of evolution falls into the heated discussion category. It reached a boiling point in 1925 when John Scopes, a biology teacher and football coach openly taught Charles Darwin’s theory on the origins and the evolution of life on this planet in his high school classroom. It raised an age-old problem: What happens when new knowledge runs up against traditional beliefs?
Tennessee law- like many states at the time- banned the teaching of Darwin’s theory in public schools, on the grounds that it was direct contradiction to the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Scopes was arrested, and the resulting trial made headlines around the world. It was called the trial of the century, and it helped to frame the debate, between some of the more strident proponents of religious and scientific beliefs in this country ever since.
Read “State Vs. John Scopes (The Monkey Trial) by Douglas O. Linder, and explore more details about the case, found by clicking links on the left side of the same page. Read short biographies of William Jennings Bryan, Clarence Darrow and the man at the center of attention, John Scopes here. Use what you’ve learned to answer the following questions in a 1000-word essay, using evidence from your reading to support your responses.
How did the Scopes Trial reflect changes within the United States?
Why was William Jennings Bryan chosen to prosecute the case?
What were Bryan’s views on religion and science?
Why was Clarence Darrow chosen as Scopes’s defense attorney?
How did Clarence Darrow view religion and science?
What were the strategies for the two sides of the trial?
What is the current status of the teaching of evolution and creationism?
Can evolution and creationism peacefully co-exist?
Why does this issue still resonate with many Americans today?
Who should be responsible for deciding what curriculum is acceptable to teach?
