Overview
Many accounts of the
Scopes trial are heavily colored by the trial's portrayal in the
play Inherit the Wind. In the past, social studies teachers have
sometimes been encouraged to use Inherit the Wind to teach students
about the Scopes trial, but in recent years historians have seriously
questioned the historical accuracy of the play. Inherit the Wind
presents the Scopes trial as a stark showdown between defenders
of free speech and religious fundamentalists who want to censor
science teachers with whom they disagree. Inherit the Wind further
suggests that Scopes' opponents were motivated primarily by a desire
to defend a literal reading of the Bible. In reality, the events
of the Scopes trial and the motivations behind it were much more
complex and varied. In this assignment, students will examine differences
between the real Scopes trial and the fictional portrayal of the
trial in Inherit the Wind. In the process, they will have the opportunity
to explore how their perceptions of historical reality are shaped
by films and television.
Directions (will require
multiple class sessions)
Introduce the assignment
by showing one of the film or television versions of Inherit the
Wind in class or by assigning students to watch it outside of class.
(Inherit the Wind is readily available on video.)
After your students have
watched the video, distribute the handout on the following page
and go over it with the students. Assign a due date that works with
your schedule.
For background reading
on the Scopes Trial (and its later fictionalization in Inherit the
Wind), an excellent resource is the Pulitzer Prize-wining book Summer
for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over
Science and Religion by historian Edward Larson (Basic Books, 1997).
The Scopes Trial
in Fact and Fiction
In 1925 a teacher named
John Scopes was put on trial for allegedly violating a law that
restricted the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee's public
schools. Inherit the Wind presents a powerful fictionalized account
of the Scopes trial, an account that has shaped many people's
perceptions of what the Scopes trial was about. Schools sometimes
use Inherit the Wind to teach students about the history of the
Scopes trial. But what is fact and what is fiction in Inherit
the Wind? And are there any drawbacks to relying on a fictionalized
account learn about an historical event?
Read the sources listed
below and write a brief report that answers the following questions:
- 1. According
to Inherit the Wind, what was the Scopes trial about?
- 2. Describe
the motivations of those opposed to the teaching of evolution
in Inherit the Wind.
- 3. According
to Carol Iannone, what are some key differences between the
real Scopes trial and its fictionalized counterpart in Inherit
the Wind?
- 4. Which of
the differences noted by Iannone are significant in your view?
Why?
- 5. Did the
writers of Inherit the Wind intend their play to be viewed as
an accurate depiction of the real Scopes trial? What was the
message they thought they were communicating in their play?
- 6. What possible
problems are there in relying on movies and plays to teach us
about historical events?
- 7. Why do you
think Inherit the Wind remains popular today?
Sources
- 1. Carol
Iannone, "The Truth about Inherit the Wind."
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9702/articles/iannone.html
- 2. "Notes
on Inherit the Wind," Famous Trials in American History
website
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/SCO_INHE.HTM
- 3. "Inherit
the Wind: The Playwrights' Note."
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/inherit/l&lnote.html
- 4. Interview
with historian Edward Larson:
http://beatrice.com/interviews/larson/
