The Scopes Monkey Trial Trial of the 20th Century Essay

â€Å"This one fact you must understand if you are to grasp the importance of the trial: the ignorance and bigotry against which Darrow and his associates struggled was too real, too armored in widespread public opinion to make the conflict waged in that Dayton court room anything less than high drama. Never, even in its most humorous moments and, fortunately, such moments were many, never was there an element of farce. The convictions involved were too deep-rooted, too passionately held.† – Marcet Haldeman- Julius America in search of normalcy after World War I, caused an increase of fundamentalists in rural United States, looking for stability in faith. The Christian Right Mobilization, formed during this time, moved to influence†¦show more content†¦Even though he had only used the state required textbook, Civic Biology, which had a chapter of Evolution in it, he was indicted and was to be taken to court. This event sparked an uproar, which led to what has widely been called â€Å"the trial of the 20th century.† The day was July 10, 1925. Hundreds of people flooded Dayton, Tennessee to witness the case. One hundred and fifty reporters came to report on the proceedings and WGN radio of Chicago prepared to broadcast coverage of the trial on the first national radio hookup. These crowds did not come just to see whether Scopes was guilty or not, yet they came to watch the clash of the two greatest orators of their time, William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution, and Clarence Darrow for the defense. William Jennings Bryan was a Congressman from Nebraska, three-time presidential candidate (1896, 1900, and 1908), and a conservative fundamentalist, while Darrow was the polar opposite. Clarence Darrow, a famous defense attorney, liberal and established agnostic, who joined the case solely to go up against Bryan and the religious fanaticism he represented. This trial was not just a trial however it was a â€Å"showdown† between modernists and traditionalists. The trial ran for 8 days, from July 10th –July 21st 1925 (two weekends). The prosecution team called for four witnesses. Howard Morgan and Harry Shelton, whom were present when Scopes had broken the law, and Walter White, the Rhea County superintendent of schools and FrankShow MoreRelated Evolution in the School System Essay1664 Words   |  7 Pagesin the School System The debate over the teaching of evolution in schools has been an ongoing issue. It first came to the public’s attention in 1925 during the legendary trial Scopes v. State of Tennessee., also known as the Scope’s Monkey Trial. During that time, a young science teacher from Tennessee was on trial for teaching evolution in his classroom despite the state’s constitution stating that only creationism be taught. After much debate and deliberation, the United States Supreme