Past Present Future Politics on Trial: Darwin vs God / Darrow vs Bryan – the Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial
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Nov 2, 2025 AI Snips
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Media Made A Local Case Global
- The Scopes trial became a global spectacle that pitched science against religion in clear, dramatic terms.
- Mass media, celebrity lawyers, and radio turned a local case into the 20th century's blockbuster courtroom battle.
Celebrity Lawyers Framed The Conflict
- The trial's fame rested on its star lawyers: Clarence Darrow defending, William Jennings Bryan prosecuting.
- Their personal reputations transformed a local school-law dispute into a symbolic clash of worldviews.
Darrow Cross-Examined Bryan Publicly
- In an extraordinary courtroom moment, Darrow publicly cross-examined William Jennings Bryan on the Bible.
- The exchange occurred outdoors because the courtroom was crowded and was later struck from the official record.