How did the scopes trial epitomize the battle between traditionalists and modernist?

The 1920s are typically seen as a time when urban areas in the United States were becoming more modernized while rural areas remained traditional.  This was the cause of a great deal of conflict between the two regions and, more generally, between modernizers and people who wanted to retain traditional ways.  The Scopes Monkey Trial is one of the greatest examples of this conflict.

In the 1920s, urban America was changing. Huge numbers of immigrants...

i would say that the politicial parties from state to state varies.