The main argument put forward by the prosecution, during the Scopes trial in 1925, was that schools ought to teach the theory of creationism purely on the lines of the Bible.
Further Explanation:
Formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, the Scopes Monkey Trial, as was the case commonly called, was a legal case in the United States in 1925. In 1925, the legislature of the Tennessee state had outlawed the teaching of anything, which denied the divine origin of the creation and man, as taught by the Bible.
In this case, John Scopes, a substitute high school teacher, was charged with violating Tennessee’s Butler Act, according to which teaching of human evolution, which was the theory propounded by Charles Darwin, was unlawful. The prosecution, led by William Jennings Bryan, was on the side of the Fundamentalists, against the defense-backed Modernists, who were led by Clarence Darrow. The former argued that God’s word on creation, as was written in the Holy Bible, was to be prioritized over human knowledge.
After hearing the arguments put forward by both the prosecution and the defense in this case, decided to simply ask as to whether or not John Thomas Scopes had taught the theory of evolution, according to the views put forward by Charles Darwin. Ultimately, when John Scopes, admitted that he had taught the theory of evolution on the lines of Darwinism, he was convicted and fined $100.
Learn more:
1. Which of the following was a religious movement at the turn of the twentieth century that sought justice for the less fortunate?
2. Which issue did the supreme court answer in the case of Duncan v. Louisiana?
Answer Details:
Grade: High School
Subject: History
Chapter: Prohibition
Keywords:
Bible, Tennessee, Butler Act, Charles Darwin, William Jennings Bryan, Fundamentalists, Modernists, Clarence Darrow
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