Tennessee became the first state in the country a hundred years ago to ban the teaching of evolution in public school classrooms. The move sparked strong reactions across the United States that eventually resulted in a legal battle that became known as the famed “Scopes monkey trial.” Historians say the trial started as a tourism gambit on behalf of the small town of Dayton, Tennessee — where the landmark case unfolded. But amid the spectacle, the arguments and tensions raised during the eight-day trial persist. The rift over evolution and creationism has never fully been put to rest. And questions over how students should be taught life’s origins still linger today. Tennessee became the first state in the country a hundred years ago to ban the teaching of evolution in public school classrooms. The move sparked strong reactions across the United States that eventually resulted in a legal battle that became known as the famed “Scopes monkey trial.” Historians say the trial started as a tourism gambit on behalf of the small town of Dayton, Tennessee — where the landmark case unfolded. But amid the spectacle, the arguments and tensions raised during the eight-day trial persist. The rift over evolution and creationism has never fully been put to rest. And questions over how students should be taught life’s origins still linger today. AP Technology and Science
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