Scopes Trial

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

In the 1920s, both religious fundamentalism and the numbers of high-school graduates were growing.

Devout Christians in America became concerned about the communists taking over the Soviet Union. At home, these Christians saw a rise in violent crime, a growth in materialism, and the changing role of women.

(Explore the Elephango lessons found under Additional Resources in the right-hand sidebar for more on the 1920s.)

Their uncertainty in the world led to a rise in fundamentalism, which is a Christian belief that every word in the Bible is literal truth.

Fundamentalism grew the most in rural America. These fundamentalists believed that all of life's important questions, like the origin of the world, could be better answered by the Bible than by what was currently taught in schools.

At the same time, more students were attending and graduating high school. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 8.6% of all 17-year-olds graduated from high school in 1910. By 1930, that percentage had grown to 28.8.

It was only a matter of time before the tension between schools and religious fundamentalists came to a head. That is exactly what happened in 1925 during one of the most famous trials of all time.

For a better understanding of this time period, watch the Scopes Trial video below and review the Key Events Surrounding the Scopes Trial timeline, both from Historical Thinking Matters:

Next, read Scopes Monkey Trial: Science on the Stand, by Jessie Szalay for LiveScience. 

This case became a symbol for the debate between creationists and evolutionists. Teacher John Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution; however, the case's outcome did not settle the debate over the origin of life between these two groups.

• Why do you think the conflict between creationists and evolutionists continues today?

Continue on to the Got It? section to uncover some background on the trial and its times.