Scopes Trial Photos

I was running through my blogroll and website lists, and found a neat story on NCSE’s website about a new batch of photographs from the Scopes Trial (aka: the Scopes Monkey Trial).  Scopes vs. The State of Tennessee was a trial that contested a law banning the teaching of evolution. 

The photos are amazing because they help us visualize the trial and what it was like during that time in our history.  In the flickr photo album, many people have commented on the pics, and it’s fun to read what other viewers are getting from the pictures.  Each picture is also accompanied by captions that identify the people, places and historical relevance captured by the photograph. 

The photos also provide further documentation of this historic event.  I really like this comment from Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette, a historian quoted by NCSE, who said of the pictures, “…they infuse action into the official trial transcript and reveal faces from different angles, famous celebrities and ordinary visitors alike, all captured in the moment, fascinated with the trial.”

This was a fascinating trial in 1925, and it continues to fuel our imagination and wonder to this day.  I mean, this was an incredible victory for evolution, and it helped illuminate issues such as the importance of teaching science,  and the necessity of separation of church and state!  How can we not be excited to remember this event?

To view the photos, visit the Smithsonian Institute on Flickr.

Tags: Evolution, History, Political