Scopes Trial Creationism vs Evolution in Public School

The Scopes Monkey Trial (official name is State of Tennessee v John Thomas Scopes) began on July 10, 1925, in Dayton, Tennessee. On trial was science teacher John T. Scopes, charged with violating the Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in Tennessee public schools. Known in its day as the trial of the century, the Scopes Trial pitted two famous lawyers against one another: Beloved orator and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and renowned trial attorney Clarence Darrow for the defense. On July 21, Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but the fine was revoked a year later during the appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court.  As the first trial was broadcast live on radio in the United States, the Scopes trial brought widespread attention to the controversy over creationism versus evolution.   Darwins Theory and the Butler Act Controversy had long surrounded Charles Darwins The Origin of Species (first published in 1859) and his later book, The Descent of Man (1871). Religious groups condemned the books, in which Darwin theorized that humans and apes had evolved, over millennia, from a common ancestor. In the decades following the publication of Darwins books, however, the theory came to be accepted and evolution was taught in most biology classes by the early 20th century. But by the 1920s, partly in response to the perceived loosening of social mores in the United States, many Southern fundamentalists (who interpreted the Bible literally) sought a return to traditional values. These fundamentalists led the charge against teaching evolution in the schools, culminating in the passage of the Butler Act in Tennessee in March 1925. The Butler Act prohibited the teaching of any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), created in 1920 to uphold the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, sought to challenge the Butler Act by setting up a test case. In initiating a test case, the ACLU did not wait for someone to break the law; instead, they set out to find someone willing to break the law expressly for the purpose of challenging it. Through a newspaper ad, the ACLU found John T. Scopes, a 24-year-old football coach and high school science teacher at Rhea County Central High School in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. Arrest of John T. Scopes The citizens of Dayton were not merely trying to protect biblical teachings with their arrest of Scopes; they had other motives as well. Prominent Dayton leaders and businessmen believed that the ensuing legal proceedings would draw attention to their little town and provide a boost to its economy. These businessmen had alerted Scopes to the ad placed by the ACLU and convinced him to stand trial. Scopes, in fact, usually taught math and chemistry, but had substituted for the regular biology teacher earlier that spring. He was not entirely certain that he had even taught evolution but agreed to be arrested. The ACLU was notified of the plan, and Scopes was arrested for violating the Butler Act on May 7, 1925. Scopes appeared before the Rhea County justice of the peace on May 9, 1925, and was formally charged with having violated the Butler Act—a misdemeanor. He was released on bond, paid for by local businessmen. The ACLU had also promised Scopes legal and financial assistance. A Legal Dream Team Both the prosecution and the defense secured attorneys that would be certain to attract news media to the case. William Jennings Bryan—a well-known orator, secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson, and three-time presidential candidate—would head the prosecution, while prominent defense attorney Clarence Darrow would lead the defense. Although politically liberal, 65-year-old Bryan nonetheless held conservative views when it came to religion. As an anti-evolution activist, he welcomed the opportunity to serve as prosecutor. Arriving in Dayton a few days before the trial, Bryan drew the attention of onlookers as he strolled through town sporting a white pith helmet and waving a palm-leaf fan to ward off the 90-plus degree heat. An atheist, 68-year-old  Darrow offered to defend Scopes free of charge, an offer that he had never made to anyone before and would never make again during his career. Known to prefer unusual cases, he had previously represented union activist Eugene Debs, as well as notorious admitted murderers Leopold and Loeb. Darrow opposed the fundamentalist movement, which he believed was a threat to the education of American youth. Another celebrity of sorts acquired a seat at the Scopes Trial—Baltimore Sun columnist and cultural critic H.L. Mencken, known nationally for his sarcasm and biting wit. It was Mencken who dubbed the proceedings The Monkey Trial. The small town was soon besieged with visitors, including church leaders, street performers, hot dog vendors, Bible peddlers, and members of the press. Monkey-themed memorabilia was sold on the streets and in shops. In an effort to attract business, the enterprising owner of the local drugstore sold simian sodas and brought in a trained chimp dressed in a little suit and bow tie. Both visitors and residents alike remarked on the carnival-like atmosphere in Dayton. State of Tennessee v John Thomas Scopes Begins The trial began at the Rhea County courthouse on Friday, July 10, 1925, in a sweltering second-floor courtroom packed with more than 400 observers. Darrow was astonished that the session began with a minister reading a prayer, especially given that the case featured a conflict between science and religion. He objected but was overruled. A compromise was struck, in which fundamentalist and non-fundamentalist clergy would alternate reading the prayer each day. The first day of the trial was spent selecting the jury and was followed by a weekend recess. The next two days involved debate between the defense and prosecution as to whether the Butler Act was unconstitutional, which would thereby place doubt on the validity of Scopes indictment. The prosecution made its case that the taxpayers—who funded public schools—had every right to help determine what was taught in those schools. They expressed that right, argued the prosecution, by electing legislators who made the laws governing what was taught. Darrow and his team pointed out that the law gave preference to one religion (Christianity) over any other, and allowed one particular sect of Christians—fundamentalists—to limit the rights of all others. He believed that the law would set a dangerous precedent. On Wednesday, the fourth day of the trial, Judge John Raulston denied the defenses motion to quash (nullify) the indictment. Kangaroo Court On July 15, Scopes entered his plea of not guilty. After both sides gave opening arguments, the prosecution went first in presenting its case. Bryans team set out to prove that Scopes had indeed violated Tennessee law by teaching evolution. Witnesses for the prosecution included the county school superintendent, who confirmed that Scopes had taught evolution out of A Civic Biology, the state-sponsored textbook cited in the case. Two students also testified that they had been taught evolution by Scopes. Under cross-examination by Darrow, the boys conceded that they had suffered no harm from the instruction, nor had either left his church because of it. After only three hours, the state rested its case. The defense maintained that science and religion were two different disciplines and should thus be kept separate. Their presentation began with the expert testimony of zoologist Maynard Metcalf. But because the prosecution objected to the use of expert testimony, the judge took the unusual step of hearing the testimony without the jury present. Metcalf explained that nearly all of the prominent scientists he knew agreed that evolution was a fact, not merely a theory. At Bryans urging, however, the judge ruled that none of the remaining eight expert witnesses be allowed to testify. Angered by that ruling, Darrow made a sarcastic comment to the judge. Darrow was hit with a contempt citation, which the judge later dropped after Darrow apologized to him. On July 20, the court proceedings were moved outside to the courtyard, due to the judges concern that the courtrooms floor might collapse from the weight of hundreds of spectators. Cross-Examination of William Jennings Bryan Unable to call any of his expert witnesses to testify for the defense, Darrow made the highly unusual decision to call prosecutor William Jennings Bryan to testify. Surprisingly—and against the advice of his colleagues—Bryan agreed to do so. Once again, the judge inexplicably ordered the jury to leave during the testimony. Darrow questioned Bryan on various biblical details, including whether he thought the Earth had been created in six days. Bryan responded that he didnt believe it was actually six 24-hour days. Spectators in the courtroom gasped—if the Bible were not to be taken literally, that might open the door for the concept of evolution. An emotional Bryan insisted that Darrows only purpose in questioning him was to ridicule those who believed in the Bible and to make them appear foolish. Darrow replied that he was, in fact, trying to keep bigots and ignoramuses from being in charge of educating the youth of America. Upon further questioning, Bryan seemed uncertain and contradicted himself several times. The cross-examination soon turned into a shouting match between the two men, with Darrow emerging as the apparent victor. Bryan had been coerced into admitting—more than once—that he did not take the Bibles story of creation literally. The judge called for an end to the proceedings and later ordered that Bryans testimony be stricken from the record. The trial was over; now the jury—which had missed key parts of the trial—would decide. John Scopes, largely ignored for the duration of the trial, had not been called to testify on his own behalf. Verdict On the morning of Tuesday, July 21, Darrow asked to address the jury before they left to deliberate. Fearing that a not guilty verdict would rob his team of the chance to file an appeal (another opportunity to fight the Butler Act), he actually asked the jury to find Scopes guilty. After only nine minutes of deliberation, the jury did just that. With Scopes having been found guilty, Judge Raulston imposed a fine of $100. Scopes came forward and politely told the judge that he would continue to oppose the Butler Act, which he believed interfered with academic freedom; he also protested the fine as unjust. A motion was made to appeal the case and was granted. Aftermath Five days after the trial ended, the great orator and statesman, William Jennings Bryan, still in Dayton, died at the age of 65. Many said he died of a broken heart after his testimony had cast doubt upon his fundamentalist beliefs, but he had actually died of a stroke likely brought on by diabetes. A year later, Scopes case was brought before the Tennessee Supreme Court, which upheld the constitutionality of the Butler Act. Ironically, the court overturned Judge Raulstons ruling, citing a technicality that only a jury—not a judge—could impose a fine greater than $50. John Scopes returned to college and studied to become a geologist. He worked in the oil industry and never taught high school again. Scopes died in 1970 at the age of 70. Clarence Darrow returned to his law practice, where he worked on several more high-profile cases. He published a successful autobiography in 1932 and died of heart disease in 1938 at the age of 80. A fictionalized version of the Scopes Trial, Inherit the Wind, was made into a play in 1955 and a well-received movie in 1960. The Butler Act remained on the books until 1967, when it was repealed. Anti-evolution statutes were ruled unconstitutional in 1968 by the U.S. Supreme Court in Epperson v Arkansas. The debate between creationist and evolutionary proponents, however, continues to this day, when battles are still being fought over the content in science textbooks and school curricula.

Essay on Women Have the Right to Abortion - 1833 Words

The issue of abortion has always been a controversial one for citizens of the United States. Abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy after the embryo has been planted in the uterus (Abortion). An individual’s stance on this controversial issue categorizes them into one of two very different groups. An individual who feels that a woman should not have an abortion- due to moral or religious views- is said to be â€Å"pro-life†. Coincidently, those who feel that a woman should have the right to choose abortion are said to be â€Å"pro-choice†. â€Å"Pro-life† supporters point to the practice of abortion as an immoral one. Supporters state abortion is immoral because it takes away the rights of the unborn fetus, since activists consider human†¦show more content†¦The practice of abortions throughout the United States are safe. Abortions have become safer since the procedure was reluctantly legalized in the United States-by the Supreme Cou rt-in 1973. According to The American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs the number of deaths associated with abortion drastically dropped from roughly four out of every one hundred thousand women in 1973 to .6 per every one hundred thousand women in 1997 (Abortion is Safe). These statistics show that procedure in how an abortion is performed has become safer since legalization. Legalization of abortion permitted the procedure to be performed in a sterile setting- such as a hospital operating room. The medical risk associated with an abortion procedure is highly overestimated. An abortion performed exactly as medically advised carries half the risk of a tonsillectomy (Abortion is Safe). (A tonsillectomy is a simple procedure that is performed on many children in their childhood.) On the other hand, anti-abortion advocates point to emotional problems that could harm the pregnant woman after an abortion. These advocates attempt to show there is a link to mental disorders in post abortion women. A New Zealand study looked to verify this claim. The analysis showed that there was a credible link between depression, suicide attempts and substance abuse in post abortion women (Cords). Researchers also aimed to connect having an abortion with post-traumatic stress disorderShow MoreRelated Women Have the Right to Abortion Essay1603 Words   |  7 PagesWomen Have the Right to Abortion Websters New World Dictionary defines the word abortion as, any spontaneous expulsion of an embryo or a fetus before it is sufficiently developed to survive (Websters 1988; Pps. 3- 4). Assuming the reader of this essay agrees with the above definition, I will explore the following thesis, and support my answer with appropriate, adequate documentation, from Conversations: Should abortion be legal? At what point in time, and under what criteria shouldRead More Women Have the Right to Choose Abortion Essay1599 Words   |  7 PagesWomen Have the Right to Choose Abortion An abortion is a womans option to terminate a pregnancy. It is an induced miscarriage. Abortion has become an extremely controversial topic in the past 3 decades since it has been legalized. There has been extreme violence stemming from this issue that we as a country need to put under control, regardless of our personal stances on the issue. There are many reasons why a woman would choose to have an abortion. She does not feel she is ready toRead MoreAbortion Is A Way For Women1726 Words   |  7 PagesKellsey Lodahl Abortion is Ethical Abortion is a way for women, or couples, to make the best decision they can for themselves and the unborn child if they are not ready to bring a child into the world. Allowing termination as a legal and ethical option lets women know they still have a choice when their world is turned upside down. The choice to abort a pregnancy allows women to remain in control of their bodies and makes women one step closer to becoming equal to men. I argue that it is ethicallyRead MoreAbortion: Unconstitutional State and Federal Laws700 Words   |  3 PagesAbortion: Unconstitutional State and Federal Laws Abortion for many years now has been a very controversial topic politically and culturally. Democrats are considered to be pro-choice for women rights to abortion, while the Republicans are against abortion due to their conservative culture. Womens right to have abortions have been violated by both state and federal government laws. Laws regulating womens right to an abortion is unconstitutional because the laws prohibits women from making theirRead MoreAbortion And The Abortion At The Supreme Court988 Words   |  4 Pageseditorial about abortion from opposing viewpoints called â€Å"Showdown on Abortion at the Supreme Court† The author of editorial argued that women’s have right choose abortion. If supreme court shutdown all legal and safest medical treatment clinic that preform abortion, the women will fallow illegal method to end their pregnancies because they do not have any alternative. It is not good method for women health. However, my opinion an abortion is quite different. Recently number of abortion increases rapidlyRead MoreShould Abortion Be A Pro Choice?954 Words   |  4 PagesPro-choice believers support the idea that women have the choice to do what they want with their bodies. In the article, â€Å"Yes, I’m Pro-Abortion,† Lauren Rankin asserts that being Pro-Choice means accepting abortion as one of the choices women have the right to make. Rankin says that abortion is not available for all women, especially a woman of color and low-income woman. The author also mentions that it sidelines abortion and delegitimizes the valid choice. I agree that if one chooses to be Pro-ChoiceRead MoreAbortion Should Be Legal Essay893 Words   |  4 Pagesis a decision that must follow. Abortion is a woman’s individual choice; therefore, must be a legal part in todays society. Individual rights have an outstanding role in the controversial topic, on whether abortion should become legal in the United States . The individ ual rights for abortion show rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. As well, women should be able to have the choice to choose to have an abortion for several important reasons. The right to make these decisions shouldRead MorePro Choice Vs. 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North American Cheetah free essay sample

The cheetah is a large feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah can run faster than any other land animal† as fast as in short bursts covering distances up to, and has the ability to accelerate from O to in three seconds. This cat is also notable for modifications in the species paws. It is one of the few felids with semi-retractable claws. Etymology The word cheetah is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning variegated, via the Hindi . Genetics, evolution, and classification The genus name, Acinonyx, means no-move-claw in Greek, while the species name, jubatus, means maned or crested in Latin, a reference to the dorsal crest found in cheetah cubs. The cheetah has unusually low genetic variability. This is accompanied by a very low sperm count, motility, and deformed flagella. Skin grafts between unrelated cheetahs illustrate the former point, in that there is no rejection of the donor skin. We will write a custom essay sample on North American Cheetah or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is thought that the species went through a prolonged period of inbreeding following a genetic bottleneck during the last ice age. This suggests that enetic monomorphism did not prevent the cheetah from flourishing across two continents for thousands of years. The cheetah likely evolved in Africa during the Miocene epoch, before migrating to Asia. Recent research has placed the last common ancestor of all existing populations as living in Asia 11 million years ago, which may lead to revision and refinement of existing ideas about cheetah evolution. The now-extinct species include: Acinonyx pardinensis, much larger than the modern cheetah and found in Europe, India, and China; Acinonyx intermedius, found over the same range. The extinct genus Miracinonyx was extremely cheetah-like, but recent DNA analysis has shown that Miracinonyx inexpectatus, Miracinonyx studeri, and Miracinonyx trumani, found in North America and called the North American cheetah are not true cheetahs, instead being close relatives to the cougar. Subspecies Although many sources list six or more subspecies of cheetah, the taxonomic status of most of these subspecies is unresolved. Acinonyx rex†the king cheetah†was abandoned as a subspecies after it was discovered that the variation was caused by a single recessive gene. The subspecies Acinonyx Jubatus guttatus, the woolly cheetah, may also have been a variation due to a recessive gene. Some of the most commonly recognized subspecies include: Asiatic cheetah : Asia . Current range is in Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Extinct in other Asian countries. Northwest African cheetah : Northwest Africa and western Africa Acinonyx Jubatus raineyii: eastern Africa Acinonyx Jubatus Jubatus: southern Africa Acinonyx Jubatus soemmeringii: central Africa Acinonyx Jubatus velox Description The cheetahs chest is deep and its waist is narrow. The coarse, short fur of the heetah is tan with round black spots measuring from across, affording it some spots, which merge to form four to six dark rings at the end. The tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft. The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black tear marks running from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth keep sunlight out of its eyes and aid in hunting and seeing long distances. Its thin and fragile body make it well-suited to short bursts of high speed, but not to long- distance running. Agility, rather than raw speed, accounts for much of the cheetahs bility to catch prey. Cheetahs can accelerate four times as fast as a human and can slow down by 14 kilometers per hour in one stride. They can hunt successfully in dense forests. The adult cheetah weighs from . Its total head-and-body length is from, while the tail can measure in length. Cheetahs are tall at the shoulder. Males tend to be slightly larger than females and have slightly bigger heads, but there is not a great variation in cheetah sizes and it is difficult to tell males and females apart by appearance alone. Compared to a similarly sized leopard, the cheetah is generally horter-bodied, but is longer tailed and taller and so it appears more streamlined. Some cheetahs have a rare fur pattern mutation of larger, blotchy, merged spots. Known as king cheetahs, they were once thought to constitute a separate subspecies but are in fact African cheetahs; their unusual fur pattern is the result of a single recessive gene. The king cheetah has only been seen in the wild a handful of times, but it has been bred in captivity. The cheetahs paws have semi-retractable claws, offering extra grip in its high-speed pursuits. The ligament structure of the heetahs claws is the same as those of other cats; it simply lacks the sheath of skin and fur present in other varieties, and therefore, with the exception of the dewclaw, the claws are always visible. The dewclaw is much shorter and straighter than that of other cats. Adaptations that enable the cheetah to run as fast as it does include large nostrils that allow for increased oxygen intake, and an enlarged heart and lungs that work together to circulate oxygen efficiently. During a typical chase, its respiratory rate increases from 60 to 150 breaths per minute. Once widely hunted for its fur, the cheetah now suffers more from the loss of both habitat and prey. The cheetah was formerly considered to be particularly primitive among the cats and to have evolved approximately 18 million years ago. However, new research suggests the last common ancestor of all 40 existing species of felines lived more recently than about 11 million years ago. The same research indicates that the cheetah, while highly derived morphologically, is not of particularly ancient lineage, having separated from its closest living relatives around

WELFARE Essays (888 words) - Federal Assistance In The United States

WELFARE Welfare is a government program that provides money, medical care, food, housing, and other things that people need in order to survive. People who can receive help from these welfare programs are children, elders, disabled, and others who cannot support their families on their current income. Another name for welfare is public assistance. There are many organizations that supply this public assistance. Such as Salvation Army and other groups. Public assistance benefits help many people who live below the poverty line, an income level is established for families. If your income is below this you would be eligible to receive this help. Welfare in the United States Federal and state governments in the Unites States serve the poor people through about 60 public assistance programs. Most people receive help through one of the four major programs. These programs are Medicaid, Aid to families with dependant Children, Social Security, or Supplemental Security, or the food stamps program. I will discuss the four programs individually. Medicaid provides free medical care to the poor people. Funds vary from state to state. In some situations, people who may be able to pay daily needs, but can't afford large medical bills may also be able to receive Medicaid. Some services paid for are bills such as doctor's visits and nursing home care. Most Medicaid funding comes from the federal government. The rest is supplied by the state. Each state runs their own Medicaid program. A.F.D.C. provides cash benefits to dependent children and the parents or the guardians taking care of them. Most families that qualify for A.F.D.C. have just one parent in the home. About 80 percent of these families are headed by a woman. A.F.D.C. also pays benefits to two-parent families if both parents are unemployed. Most A.F.D.C. funding comes from the federal government. The states provide the rest of the money and administer the program. The sizes of families' payment vary from state to state. Next is Social Security Income. This provides financial Aid to people in need who are at least 65 years old, blind, or disabled. The federal government finances and administers social security income programs in most states, though some states supply the federal payment and are able to run their own programs. Finally, the Food Stamp Program helps low-income households buy more and better food than they could otherwise afford. Each participating household receives a certain number of coupons called food stamps. The stamps are issued by the federal government. The number of stamps a household receives varies with the family's size, income, and expenses. Cooperating grocery stores accept the stamps like money for food purchases only. There are other programs such as energy assistance and public housing. Energy assistance, which is federally financed but administered by the states, helps people pay fuel bills. Public housing provides low cost rental apartments in government owned buildings. State and local governments fund and administer their own general assistance programs. These programs provide financial aid for needy people who do not qualify for other types of welfare. People waiting to receive assistance from other programs also may get temporary emergency aid from general assistance. Back in the early days, welfare resembled the English system. Social governments were responsible for helping the poor. But the colonies and later the states, sometimes helped the local government provide aid. The first federal welfare program, began after the Revolutionary War, they provided pensions to war veterans. During the Civil War these pensions were expanded to cover soldiers' widows and orphans. In the early 1900's, primary responsibility for providing welfare benefits shifted from local to state governments. During these years, states enacted programs to aid dependent children and the elderly. The criticisms of welfare ranges over a number of social and economic issues. Some people criticize welfare programs for not providing high enough benefits to eliminate poverty. Spending on welfare would have to increase greatly to eliminate poverty, and many people believe the cost is already too high. Many critics of the welfare system charge that providing a steady income to needy people encourages idleness. Actually, most welfare benefits go to elderly, blind, and disabled people and mothers with young children. But welfare does discourage some recipients