American Decades
The Scopes Trial, 1925
The Issue.
One of the most incendiary issues facing Americans in the 1920s was the teaching of the theory of evolution. The clash between religious fundamentalism and science resulted in the widely publicized trial of John T. Scopes. On 21 March 1925 the Tennessee legislature had enacted a law prohibiting the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution in public schools. During the Scopes trial the right of teachers to convey to their students findings of biological science about the origins of human life rather than imparting the biblical account found in Genesis attracted worldwide attention.
DARROW IN DAYTON
In 1925 Joseph Wood Krutch, later an influential literary scholar, was a young reporter covering the Scopes Trial. The following excerpt presents his impressions of Darrow's courtroom presence and of Dayton, Tennessee:
"In Tennessee, as I said in a previous article,...
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1920's Education
