The Scopes Trial at 100

Science and religion are in a constant state of friction. But 100 years ago, that friction flared into a firestorm in Tennessee.

In 1925, John Scopes, a 24-year-old high school science teacher in Dayton, decided to teach human evolution to his students even though the state had just outlawed it. He was put on trial, and Dayton was the center of international attention. Today, the impacts of what became known as the “Monkey Trial” are still rippling 100 years later. Plus, were you taught evolution in high school? Do you believe in creationism or evolution? Or both? The phone lines are open to take your calls.

This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.

Guests

• Wesley Roberts, retired Metro Nashville Public School teacher, native Nashvillian.
• Dr. Antonis Rokas, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Biological Science and the Founding Director of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative at Vanderbilt University.
• Sophie Badgett, former biology student at Hume Fogg

Links

• Scopes 100, Scopes Centennial Celebration, Dayton, TN
• Scopes “Monkey” Trial Centennial Symposium, Vanderbilt University

Further reading and listening

• The Scopes monkey trial took place 100 years ago, but the fight isn’t over (WPLN)
• NashVillager Podcast: Calling the shots in schools (Nashvillager, WPLN)
• A Century Ago, a High School Teacher From a Small Tennessee Town Ignited a National Debate Over Human Evolution (Smithsonian)
• Timeline: Remembering the Scopes Monkey Trial (NPR)