Context

The Origin of Species indeed has many historical events in terms of its banning. However, my exhibit will be focusing on one specific banning event whose impact was seen greatly in historical terms. The Scopes Trial (1925), was an American legal case where a high school teacher named John T. Scopes was accused of violating the Butler’s Act (Weiss, 2007), where it is indicated that the teaching of evolution is strictly prohibited in schools. The trial took place in Dayton Tennessee, first inside a courthouse and then later on the trial was taken outside due to the extensive heat. In the pictures shown in this section, we can see in one photo where Scopes is seen standing with his two defence lawyers Clarence Darrow and Dudley Field Malone during the trial. All decisions during this trial were made by Judge John T. Raulston. This trial brought in massive attention to the public, and this is where Darwin’s evolutionary theories were judged in both bad and good ways. William Jennings Bryan furiously debated that these theories contradict what was taught in the Bible and that Darwin’s theory on human evolution has ruined the sanity of the human race. Scopes lawyers argued that the teachings of evolutionary did not contradict with religion as it had a clear explanation since the very beginning. Although the defence lawyers had tried their utmost to win the case with their counteracting arguments, at the end Scopes was fined $100 (Gabriner & Miller,1974).  Later on, Paul Patterson, owner of The Baltimore Sun, put up $500 in bail for Scopes.