Which 1925 trial pitted the teaching of Darwin's theory against the Bible's creation story in public schools?

Which 1925 trial pitted the teaching of Darwin's theory against the Bible's creation story in public schools?

• A. Brown v Board of Education
• B. Scopes Monkey Trial
• C. Salem Witch Trials
• D. Missouri Compromise

Answer: (B)

The question tests the clash between science and religious fundamentalism in American public education during the 1920s. In 1925, the Butler Act in Tennessee banned teaching human evolution in public schools, and John T. Scopes was tried for teaching Darwin’s theory to his students. The Scopes trial brought a national spotlight to the dispute over whether science or biblical creationism should guide what is taught in schools, illustrating how law and classroom content intersected in this era. Context helps: the trial highlighted the ongoing tension between scientific theories of origins and religious beliefs in the public sphere, a theme that recurs in American education debates. The other events are about different issues entirely—school segregation, colonial-era witchcraft panic, and a political compromise over slavery—so they don’t fit this 1925 science-versus-scripture clash.

The question tests the clash between science and religious fundamentalism in American public education during the 1920s. In 1925, the Butler Act in Tennessee banned teaching human evolution in public schools, and John T. Scopes was tried for teaching Darwin’s theory to his students. The Scopes trial brought a national spotlight to the dispute over whether science or biblical creationism should guide what is taught in schools, illustrating how law and classroom content intersected in this era. Context helps: the trial highlighted the ongoing tension between scientific theories of origins and religious beliefs in the public sphere, a theme that recurs in American education debates. The other events are about different issues entirely—school segregation, colonial-era witchcraft panic, and a political compromise over slavery—so they don’t fit this 1925 science-versus-scripture clash.