Scopes Monkey Trial 4of8

The famous 1925 trial of John Scopes in Dayton Tennessee became known as the "Monkey Trial". John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution. This breached the Tennessee anti-evolution law known as the Butler Act. The trial itself received national attention as it was not only one of the first ever court cases which was broadcast live on radio but pitted famous lawyer, Clarence Darrow against past presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• scopes
• monkey
• trial
• dayton
• clarence
• darrow
• jennings
• bryan

[generationalist]

~08:00 "Darrow's speech had brought the wrath of god upon Dayton". It would be humorous if it weren't so frighteningly the same even today. And today, just as then there is and was no excuse for such ignorance. It can only be called stupidity. Fundies keep wishing the past away, but Franklin's discovery just won't let them play the - hand of god - card anymore. It had more to do with the seasonal weather pattern. Storms like that are normal in the Tennessee valley during that time of year.

[BlizBob]

That Gorilla joke was teh best.

[SeanMBryans]

How can you possibly dislike this - It is so unbiased. Basically sticking to the facts.  Must be acampaiign of some sort against something. Truth, I guess. Never let the facts (truth) get in the way of a good story . . . Mark Twain

[Obasiliasfilosofos]

@amaxamon

Eugenics did not have the stigma that it does now, Supporters of eugenics, believed that selective breeding could prevent the passing of genetically heritable illness.to future generations, Even Alexander graham bell the creator of the telephone endorsed eugenics given his history as a advocate for the deaf he believed that eugenics would prevent the suffering of future generations, Its when racist hijacked it & gov who implemented it brought allot of harm & abuse.

[upsilon054]

@generationalist Good points. Thanks :-)

[generationalist]

@upsilon054 That is why I stated "today, just as then there is and was no excuse for such ignorance. It can only be called stupidity." Take your pick today, fundies argue that aids is gods wrath against homosexuality, hurricanes, tsunami, volcanic activity and natural storms of all forms are still said to be "the wrath of god" even today. I live in a modern society and yet when I went to work after the tsunami on Japan first hit I had to listen to more than one person say it was the hand of god.

[upsilon054]

@generationalist Yes, you're right, but Franklin made his discovery in the mid 18th Century. Odd that Franklin's discovery did not penetrate the mountains of Tennessee.

[umavunga]

Watchers don't like the history of the trial? As presented in this film? So, it's not accurate? it's biased?

i don't know, i think it is pretty even-handed, especially what it said about Bryan and how far ahead he was politically for those times.

And it nails H. L. Mencken as a bigot and a cruel mocker. Bryan had done so much to modernize America and bring some rights to the small farmer and workmen, the vote for women, moving us off the gold standard. See the good in people, why don't ya?

[spentonmediocrity]

9:15-9:28...Buncombe! as Mencken would say.

Mencken had but the highest regard for the southern aristocracy,specifically regarding Virginia's aristocracy,pre civil war, to be America's finest cultural attribute, ..it was the ignorant masses that he spoke out against.

Mencken was no Yank cheer leader in the civil war either,that implication is simply without footing.

[amaxamon]

It's a shame that the textbook Darrow was defending promoted racism & eugenics. This was definitely an 'in between' period for evolutionary theory. Ironically (or not) the racism remained in the textbook (save one reference) even after the references to evolution were removed!

[jedimasterham]

1:20 ... Hitler???

[happymaskdude]

I just love how this video isn't biased. It's good to see that it's to believe in evolution and God. :D