Inherit the wind
Inherit the wind and the teaching of Evolution
The TV movie, Inherit the wind, was made to portray the 1925 "Scopes Monkey Trial." The original 1960 version of this movie have been shown in classrooms across the nation, and is said to be historical. It has influenced many people against evolution. From just seeing the movie, anyone can conclude that religious fundamentalist are unreasonable, while evolutionist are rational thinkers.
In the discussion below, several parts of the movie are compared with the transcipt of the trial. It became a national event, covered by major papers and on live radio. Newspapermen and lawyers crowded the hotel. Even the famous reporter E.K. Hornbeck reported on the trial for The Baltimore Sun. The first major discrepancy concerns the beginning of the case.
In the movie a minister, lawyer, and policeman go into the clasroom where Cates(representing John Scopes) is teaching evolution. They place him under arrest, and take him off to jail. The fact is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wanted a test case to nullify the Butler Act, which said that no public school teacher could deny the Biblical creation account and teach that man was descended from apes. The Chattanoga Daily Newspaper were looking for a teacher to test the law in the courts. A local mine operator, George Rappleyea, had a grudge against churches, and pursuaded Scopes to agree to be arrested.
Scopes was not a biology teacher, he was the football coach. He only filled in for two weeks for the regular biology teacher, who was ill. During this time, the schedule called for a class on evolution. Scopes is quoted as telling Wiliam E. Hutchinson of the International News Service, "There's something I must tell you. It's worried me. I didn't violate the law...I never taught that lesson on evolution. I skipped it, I was doing something else that day. Those kids they put on the stand couldn't remember what they learned three months ago. They were coached by
The TV movie, Inherit the wind, was made to portray the 1925 "Scopes Monkey Trial." The original 1960 version of this movie have been shown in classrooms across the nation, and is said to be historical. It has influenced many people against evolution. From just seeing the movie, anyone can conclude that religious fundamentalist are unreasonable, while evolutionist are rational thinkers.
In the discussion below, several parts of the movie are compared with the transcipt of the trial. It became a national event, covered by major papers and on live radio. Newspapermen and lawyers crowded the hotel. Even the famous reporter E.K. Hornbeck reported on the trial for The Baltimore Sun. The first major discrepancy concerns the beginning of the case.
In the movie a minister, lawyer, and policeman go into the clasroom where Cates(representing John Scopes) is teaching evolution. They place him under arrest, and take him off to jail. The fact is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wanted a test case to nullify the Butler Act, which said that no public school teacher could deny the Biblical creation account and teach that man was descended from apes. The Chattanoga Daily Newspaper were looking for a teacher to test the law in the courts. A local mine operator, George Rappleyea, had a grudge against churches, and pursuaded Scopes to agree to be arrested.
Scopes was not a biology teacher, he was the football coach. He only filled in for two weeks for the regular biology teacher, who was ill. During this time, the schedule called for a class on evolution. Scopes is quoted as telling Wiliam E. Hutchinson of the International News Service, "There's something I must tell you. It's worried me. I didn't violate the law...I never taught that lesson on evolution. I skipped it, I was doing something else that day. Those kids they put on the stand couldn't remember what they learned three months ago. They were coached by