Scopes Trial

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John T. Scopes
    During the period after WWI, Americans wanted things to return to the way they were before the war. Many Americans turned to fundamentalist religions for comfort and stability. Fundamentalists then began to view Darwinism and evolution as the enemy. They believed that both were a threat to there beliefs and should not be taught in schools. States then started to ban the teachings of evolution in schools. However opposition soon appeared. The American Civil Liberties Union saw this as an infringement of Constitutional rights. An opportunity to let their voices be heard soon arrived. In Tennessee a science teacher named John T. Scopes was being charged with teaching evolution illegally. On July 10, 1925 the first day of the trial began. The court case drew national attention and many saw it as a fight between modernism and traditionalism. In the end, the court found Scopes guilty and charged him a $100 fine. However one year later the court reversed the decision but only because of an error in technicality. In hindsight, the Scopes trial did not give a clear winner between the two sides but was a major event in eventually allowing evolution to be taught in schools.