Monday, March 17

Discussed in class on March 17 was the Scopes Trial.  The Scopes Trial to give a brief description was a famous American legal case in 1925 in which a high school teacher,  John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's  Butler Act, a law which made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school in Tennessee. The trial was deliberately staged in order to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where it was held. Though a "monkey trial" this case proved to be one of the most exciting of the twentieth century next to Sacco and Vanzetti.  In some cases the trials of the earl twentieth century demonstrated hegemony.  Hegemony means that through an indirect form of government, and/or of imperial dominance the leader state rules geopolitically to subordinate states by the implied means of power, the threat of force, rather than by direct military force.  What does this have to do with the Scopes Trial though is important.  As the South at this time ruled their towns with an iron fist even going so far as to dictate what can and cannot be taught in public schools, i.e. Darwin's theory of evolution could not be taught.  Wanting their young people to grow up as good Christians often meant that they must keep a closed mind to much of history and scientist's theories.  A good quote I got from the reading by Andrew Nolan entitled Making Modern Men goes, "he attacked the preacher, in fact, for failing in his duties as a Christian gentleman, because his virtue did not give him the flexibility to adapt to a changing world."  This quote best describes the real trial that was going on during the Scopes Trial that of virtue vs. changing views of human life.  It is often an unwillingness to change or accept others views that stops many from moving forward in their thinking.