Summer For The Gods Summary

On March 21st, 1925 the governor of Tennessee signed the Butler Bill which banned the teaching of evolution in public schools. The bill was introduced as America was pushing for a return to fundamentalism due to the actions of many citizens. In an attempt to bring publicity to the town of Dayton, Tennessee people in the town asked John Thomas Scopes to cover evolution in his class so he can be indicted and bring the case to national attention. Scopes’ defense attorney was a man named Clarence Darrow; he was a very popular defense attorney and public speaker. Darrow delivered a powerful speech in which he tried to prove the Butler Bill unconstitutional due to the fact that it

LeAnn Struckman paper’s thesis is that the Puritan community, the weather, political events, and illnesses that were happening to the Salem region led to the Salem witch trial. This is supported by looking at the Puritan community and establishing the context behind the event. The paper starts by looking at the importance of the Massachusetts Bay Charter. This gave them the right to establish a colony in the New England area and the protections that came with it. The Puritans believed and desired to create an ideal society in the New World that England would want to emulate. The paper claims that the Puritans believed that the church and state should not be separate, which made their Puritan religious doctrines flow over into their government. This influences the role of the church and its membership. The Puritans believed in a strict system to gain membership of the church. Church membership carried over into the governance of the state and certain political rights like voting. The following generations were not as involved with the church and membership soon declined as they were unable to meet the strict standards. This decline created tension within the church, which created the need for reforming the standards of membership. However, with the change in membership there still was tension between the Puritans.

What is atheism? Why would someone be an atheist? Why do people fear and dislike atheism? Simply stated, atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods. Granted, atheists are each individuals and undoubtedly each of them prescribe [to] many different philosophies on life, politics and morality as do Christians. However, though atheists may choose to gather collectively for whatever purpose, unlike Christianity, atheism is not a belief system. An individual who identifies himself as an atheist is merely stating that he does not believe in [the existence of] god or gods. Atheism, as indicated by its name, is the opposite of theism which is belief in at least one god; to include polytheism (belief in many or more than one god) and monotheism

The Scopes trial was a trial over a misdemeanor offense by substitute teacher John Scopes, but it ended up becoming an even huger trial between fundamentalist and modernist. Modernist and fundamentalist were fighting for control of America’s education system and the result of the trial would have a drastic effect on Tennessee’s education system. When the Butler Act was passed in 1925, the ACLU (American Citizens Liberties Union) sent a press discharge to a few Tennessee daily papers, publishing that they would give legitimate support, and so forth for a teacher in Tennessee who would be eager to stand trial for having taught Darwinism in a government funded school so an experiment could be mounted to test the established legitimacy of the Act. A gathering of citizens in the residential area of Dayton acknowledged ACLU 's offer, with the expectation that the exposure encompassing the trial would help to switch the town 's declining fortunes. The group

America’s economic success brought about a series of societal and cultural changes which impacted many aspects of citizens lives, ranging from family life, gender roles, social class, and religion. At the time of the Second Great Awakening, Americans turned to religious revivalists to provide them with resolutions to these fundamental problems facing the United States. While most of these revivalists preached of constructive changes, Johnson and Wilentz highlight the dangers behind our nation’s tolerance of fundamentalists, enthusiasts and visionaries of all sorts. They display our nation's susceptibility to volatile cults and revivals. Motivated by his desire to protect the “ancient truth” and "Despite all of his protestations of faith, [Matthews] was violating the most basic precepts of evangelical manhood, with his unsteady work habits, his self-glorification, and his domestic tyranny" (Johnson and Wilentz

Fall was imprisoned under the account that he accepted a bribe. Sinclair was also imprisoned under the account of bribery and criminal conspiracy, but only spent six and a half months in prison. The Scopes Monkey trial involved John Scopes, a high school science teacher, who was accused of teaching evolution, which was a violation of Tennessee law. This law, which was passed in March of that year, made it a misdemeanor punishable by fines to teach any ideology that denies the idea of divine creationism. After being arrested, Scopes recieved the help of the ACLU to organize a defense. After William Jennings Bryan heard of the trial, he volunteered to assist the prosecution. Soon after, Clarence Darrow joined the ACLU in the defence. Early on in the trial, the defence was set back as the Judge ruled against their attempt at proving the law unconstitutional. Outside of the courthouse there was a carnival-like atmosphere with monkeys and vendors sold Bibles, toy monkeys, hot dogs and lemonade. The Judge ruled that the expert scientific testimony of evolution was inadmissible, as it was Scopes who was on trial, not the law he broke. The next day, the trial continued outside, as they feared that the crowd would break

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was on the forefront of the challenge against the Butler Act. The ACLU is a non-profit organization founded in 1920 whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It posted an announcement in a Tennessee newspaper saying that it would offer its services to anyone willing to challenge the anti-evolution statute. John T. Scopes accepted the offer, after townspeople like George Rappleyea argued that a trial would bring publicity to the small town of Dayton. Scopes was a 24 year old science teacher and coach of the local high school football team. He was indicted by a grand jury for violating the Butler Law on May 25, 1925 and the stage was set for Case Number 5232, Scopes v. State.

The summer of 1925 was a controversial period of time in the town of Dayton, Tennessee. There had been a law that banned evolution taught in classrooms; the American Civil Liberties Union challenged said law with the help of John Scopes, who was a teacher that taught the theory of evolution in his classroom. In the trial, Clarence Darrow represented Scopes and faced off William Jennings Bryan, who was against evolution being taught and a well-known criminal defense lawyer.

"The hand that writes the paycheck rules the school," said William Jennings Bryan. From the beginning, Americans have struggled knowing what they should teach their children. In the 1920's, education was starting to boom. More and more people were attending school and as an effect school sizes were increasing dramatically. Then, the recurring topic of science and religion began to start controversy with public.Soon, two sides formed, the Fundamentalists and the Darwinist. Then, an antievolution law was passed in Tennessee. The American Civil Rights Union (ACLU) was against the new law, because it violated freedom of speech. As a result the Scopes trial formed. The Scopes trial brought big names to the town of Dayton, including Clarence Darrow defending John T. Scopes and William Jennings Bryan persecuting Scopes for teaching evolution. To the town of Dayton, the trial was hope. For Clarence Darrow, the trial was an opportunity to bash religion. For the ACLU, the trial was a cry for freedom. William Jennings Bryan believed he had the chance to protect his faith. Summer for the Gods by Edward J. Larson gives a reader every detail about the Scopes Trial there is to know. The book goes through the steps leading up to the trial, the actual trial, and the lasting effect of the trial. Larson believes that the Scopes Trial was a unique case and meant something different to everyone.

Dayton, Tennessee was the location of which John Thomas Scopes was charged with a crime. The crime charged against Mr. Scopes was that he was teaching evolution. The law in Tennessee states that the misdemeanor is punishable and the law states “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead of that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” Scopes asked for the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union to assist him in his trial. When William Jennings Bryan heard of the attack on Christian fundamentalism went to assist the prosecution. Clarence Darrow an amazing attorney agreed to help the defense. The trial began on July 10, 1921 and within a few days many reporters

Clarence Darrow builds a potent argument against the creation of the Butler Act and the state of Tennessee's choice to outlaw the theory of evolution in favor of the Bible’s interpretation of the creation of humans by providing the audience with a clear understanding of the negative connotations of these choices. He clearly states that the decision of the government is an impediment between traditional beliefs and progression. Darrow claims that the act is a “brazen….attempt to destroy learning as ever was made during the Middle Ages” (Transcript A, Paragraph 1). By connecting the act to a period of time often associated with a lack of knowledge, Darrow is able to portray the act as oppressive and convince the audience to fear for the damage

The Scopes Trial, also referred to as the State Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes or the Scopes Monkey Trial, began on July 10, 1925. This event was a legal case in which a substitute teacher named John Scopes violated the Tennessee Butler Act. The Butler Act administered that evolution was not allowed to be taught in any public school. While substituting a Biology class, Scopes briefly reviewed the evolution chapter in a textbook. He did not recall if he had specifically taught evolution in the class, but on accounts of several students it was concluded that he should be charged with breaking the law.

The Scopes trial happened mainly because the Butler Act was passed, the Butler Act made it illegal to teach human Evolution in a public school. And even though the main objective of the scopes trial was to attract business to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee it ultimately ended in science gaining higher value in the American society over religion.

The Scopes Trial: A Brief History with Documents by Jeffrey P. Moran is a book that details the significant events that transpired in the Scopes Trial on 1925. The book, in part II, highlights eight days of the proceedings in regards to the Scopes Trial that occurred from July 10, 1925 to July 21, 1925. Furthermore, a couple of newspapers relating to the proceedings were scattered across as well. In part III, a plethora of documents, cartoons, and newspapers are showcased extensively pertaining to the Scopes Trial. Three documents that have stood out were Who Shall Control Our Schools? by William Jennings Bryan and Tennessee Can Dictate Curriculum, Not Answers by R.S. Woodworth.

“Everything in the Bible should be taken as it is given” Bryan. “The Scopes Trial” also known as “the Monkey Trial” was a very controversial trial because of what was at stake and what Scopes was on trial for. John Scopes was on trial for teaching Evolution in his 8th grade class. This trial was the first trial ever to be broadcast on the radio because of how controversial it was. There was also a book written in 1955 called Inherit The Wind which we will be comparing to the actual trial.