Internet Sites that will help you be the news reporter on the trial, E.K. Hornbeck.
Important Note: In your search for your character background, you will encounter people with different views on this issue. You need to discern what is reasonable and what is irrational. If you encounter a site that is highly objectionable, go to another source and please notify the teacher.
Here is a site that gives an overview of H.L. Mencken and his beliefs on several issues of the day. He was against Prohibition and many other things. This site has a variety of Mencken's ideas that were put into print. This location is ideal for item number two above on the character page, Newspaper Reporter.
This site gives Mencken's views on the Scopes Monkey Trial directly.
H.L. Mencken on the Scopes Monkey Trial
Here is an overview of the Scopes Monkey Trial. It includes a reporter's notes on the beginning of the trial and the Evolutionist-Fundamentalist Conflict.
Reporter's Notes on the Scopes Monkey Trial
This site has the exact wording of the Tennessee state law that forbids the teaching of evolution which Scopes chose to challenge. This is from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School and Douglas Linder, Professor of Law.
Tennessee State Law Forbidding the Teaching of Evolution
Below are four sources to look up words you need to know.
Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary
This site is at Stanford University. It explains in several articles the Separation between Church and State.
Separation between Church and State
Go to the Freedom Forum and look up Separation between Church and State. It will provide you with numerous articles on the subject.
This page details the history of the teaching of evolution and creationism.
Anti-evolution activities recorded.
The debate between evolution and creationism still goes on today. Here is an account of a such a debate in the state of Tennessee. Teachers in Tennessee at the high school level still want to avoid the issue. Teachers at the university level go at the issue head on.
The Scopes Trial Page is an excellent source for the newspaper accounts of the trial. It has a detailed account of Darrow questioning William Jennings Bryan on his knowledge of other cultures and history. It includes many direct quotes. It does not claim to be an original source, but it does refer to many first hand sources. You may want to check its validity on your own. The URL is http://www.borndigital.com/scopes.htm
The Scopes Trial Page by Borndigital, Curator.
This site focuses on famous trials in American History. This particular page looks at Tennessee versus John Scopes. It lists the anti-evolution statutes in Tennessee, excerpts from the book of Genesis, H.L. Mencken's view of the trial, and the Evolution Controversy. The next hot link marked Scopes Monkey Trial site just below this one, has an excellent overview of all the players in this trial and the motives for their actions. This is an excellent source to explore.
Famous Trials in American History by Douglas Linder.
The Scopes Monkey Trial site is an excellent source of information that points out the variety of misinformation on the trial. It charges that the play Inherit the Wind is not an accurate documentary of what took place in 1925. It points how learned scholars got their factual materials mixed up.
Here is an important location on The Scopes Monkey Trial site. It talks about the views of the experts of that time. These experts themselves were not totally clear in presenting the modern view of evolution that man has evolved over a long historical time period.
Scopes Monkey Trial site: What the experts said about evolution at that time.
In this section of The Scopes Monkey Trial site, "What Hunter's Biology Really Taught," there are many thought provoking paragraphs describing the inaccuracies of the evolutionary theory presented in Hunter's Biology text, the racist views of the evolution of different races, and Clarence Darrow's fatalistic view of man's position in the universe.
Scopes Monkey Trial site: What Hunter's Biology Taught.
If you were a juror on the Scopes Monkey Trial, what would be your verdict? Take the survey at the History Channel.com and see where you stand.
Scopes Monkey Trial Juror Survey
Additional Instructions:
After finishing your Power Point presentations, go to the Learning Advice page, read it, and then begin your act rehearsal process.
After finishing your presentations and the play performance, go to the Reflections page and follow the wrap up activity there. Thank you.
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