Professor Laura Lovett Fall, 2007

History 200

New Approaches to the Study of History: The Case of the Scopes Trial

Week 3 Assignment: Scopes and the ACLU

Due on Friday, September 21.

Often the Scopes Trial is presented as a battle between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. While interpreting the trial in terms of a clash between great personalities may have some merit (and we will discuss this interpretation later in the course), this week we will consider the role of the ACLU as a national organization. As historians, we would like to understand the ACLU’s agenda in the 1920s, how that agenda changed over time, and how it was relevant to the Scopes Trial. The ACLU’s annual reports from 1924 and 1925 are documents that allow us to start to address these issues.

After you have read the ACLU documents and the second day of the trial transcript, please answer the following questions. Please post your written response to this assignment in the Week 3 Discussion forum on Spark by midnight on Thursday, September 20.

1. In 1924, what kinds of work was the ACLU conducting, and what did its leadership in 1924 foresee for 1925? What projects did the ACLU actually adopt in 1925, and how was that different from their predictions?

2. Why would the ACLU have been interested in defending John Scopes in 1925?