The Tennessee Scopes Trial: Its Historic Impact on America

Tuesday, Oct 25, 2005
All Day

MU Chancellor Brady J. Deaton moderated the fifth of a series of open forums on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005. Participants discussed the historical and social context of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial and how we are impacted today.

The Scopes trial tested a law forbidding state-funded educational institutions to teach evolution instead of creationism. John Scopes, a high school science teacher, challenged the state law in Tennessee. His trial quickly became a national battleground and drew the attention of fundamentalists and the American Civil Liberties Union. A timeline and photos from the trial are available on the National Public Radio Web site.

The Panelists

	Richard Callahan Assistant Professor of Religious Studies		Robert Collins Frederick A. Middlebush Professor of History
	Frank Schmidt Professor of Biochemistry		Betty Winfield Curators’ Professor of Journalism