The period of the twentieth century, specifically the nineteen-twenties, was a historically significant event in history due to the dramatic changes politically and socially. In this time period there was many altercations between two specific groups who had completely different outlooks on change. Modernists, or people who tended to be in favor of new ideas, styles and social trends, embraced the idea of change during this time period whereas traditionalist, or people who are opposed to change, had deep respect for long held cultural and religious values that they believed should not be broken under any circumstances. The disputes between the traditionalist and modernist over religious beliefs made way into the woman’s lives leaving pop culture to rise rapidly.
In the centuries leading up to the “Jazz and the Machine Age”, the nineteen-twenties was in a major dispute over religious beliefs between the traditionalist and the modernists. In 1925, a trial was held that was known as the Scopes trial. John scopes, a high school teacher, taught the theory of evolution in a Tennessee public high school. At the time, Tennessee had a state law they made it illegal to teach evolution in schools. The modernists had believed that the teachings of evolution gave the public another perspective through science but not religion. The traditionalist however, feared that the teaching of the Bible would be lost along with religious morals if Scope had won the trial. Traditionalist had
Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion concentrates on the Scopes trial, otherwise called the "Monkey Trial," which happened in Dayton, Tennessee in the mid year of 1925. The trial occurred in excess of a Tennessee law that banned the educating of human development out in the open schools. The American Civil Liberties Union needed to test the law, and a junior instructor named John Scopes, consented to help them. The alleged "trial of the century" united the well known government official and speaker, William Jennings Bryan, who headed the opposition to development campaign; and Clarence Darrow, who was viewed as the best criminal protection legal advisor of the time. The two men, plus their individual direction, clashed in the trail with the indictment in the end ready to maintain the law.
The flapper was the harbinger of a radical change in American culture. She was a product of social and political forces that assembled after the First World War. Modernization adjusted the American life. Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern by Joshua Zeitz analyzes the people who created the image of the flapper. This work is an incorporation of narrative, statistics, and scholarly work that provide a distinct insight on the “New Woman.” Joshua Zeitz asserts the flapper was not a dramatic change from traditional American values but reflected the “modern” decade under mass media, celebrity, and consumerism.
The woman’s role in society had many changes during the era of WWII to the baby boom era. It went from the strong independent woman that can work in a factory to a house wife that takes care of the family to the final slightly dominant, but still dependent female. All of these different feminine mystiques were changed because of society and through indirect propaganda in TV shows and
Through the 1920s, conflicts regarding the teachings of religious values versus Evolution, along with the increasing fight for women’s independence, caused a great deal of tension within America. Prior to the ‘20s schools taught the Bible and Christianity’s principles were stressed. It was in 1925 when Clarence Darrow defended John Scopes, a biology teacher, who was put on trial in the court for teaching the theory of Evolution (Doc C). This document illustrates the dialogue of
Darrow, an atheistic man, believed that science should rule America and didn’t like that people who weren’t scientists were trying to control science and dictate what could and could not be done. His former friend, and opponent, on the side of religion was Bryan. Bryan believed that creation was the way humans came to be and was appalled by evolution and people’s desire to learn it. This conflict cut Americans to their souls and in July of 1925, it was given to the courts to decide once and for all which side was right, Darwin and his evolution, or the bible and creation. However, the courts could not decide which side was right, and instead stuck to its decision of whether or not Scopes broke the law, which he was indeed guilty of. This trial definitively proved that the tension between faith and reason might never be resolved by a jury’s verdict. The Scopes trial also galvanized fundamentalists and scientists alike, changed children’s education, and revealed a deep division within our nation. After Bryan’s wishes,
In the 1920's, many people became familiar with religions that are known today. Religions would follow what is so-called “ planned for them” written in the books. The Butler Act made it illegal to teach about religions from the textbooks. This included that teachers as any school were allowed to teach and about the science of evolution. The conflicts that the Butler Act made were between tradition and modernity. This act was worrying parents that it would change, and make a big effect for their children's education. These are reasons why people cared about the Butler Act. It also questioned the simple debate between evolution and creation. John Scopes was the first to argue about the importance of teaching science. Later on, there was a Scopes trial in Dayton,Tennessee.
Starting with the Scopes Trial, many more cases have occurred concerning the teaching of evolution. “By 1928 every southern state except Virginia had debated or was considering legislation banning the teaching of evolution in the
Scopes fine and conviction were overturned later on a technicality, but the debate between the anti-evolutionists and modernists continued over evolution and religion in the classroom subject matter long after the trial was over. Many books were written about the Scopes Trials that described what happened such as Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the Nineteen-Twenties, and Inherit the Wind. The author of Only Yesterday, Fredrick Lewis Allen, described the trials very simply as a loss for fundamentalism and many others followed in his description. Political and public views from this case also changed, which led toward the idea of creation to be taught in schools rather than so much emphasis on evolution being banned. This led to religious practices in schools began to diminish as the years went on as well. As more arguments arose and settled, the law that banned evolution in school was finally repealed in
It was stated that Scopes didn’t deliberately teach the theory of Evolution, but the classroom assigned book by the state featured a chapter on it(Armstrong). The whole trial proved that the judge treated everything with extreme bias, from allowing a prayer before each day to making it nearly impossible for Darrow to get a good argument that would be allowed to stay in the records(Noah). When Scopes was asked what point in time that he taught Evolution he said that he didn’t remember if he did at all because it wasn’t in his lesson plans(Noah). This case was held with the most disrespect a judge or state could give a
Frederick Lewis Allen, in his famous chronicle of the 1920s Only Yesterday, contended that women’s “growing independence” had accelerated a “revolution in manners and morals” in American society (95). The 1920s did bring significant changes to the lives of American women. World War I, industrialization, suffrage, urbanization, and birth control increased women’s economic, political, and sexual freedom. However, with these advances came pressure to conform to powerful but contradictory archetypes. Women were expected to be both flapper and wife, sex object and mother. Furthermore, Hollywood and the emerging “science” of advertising increasingly tied conceptions of femininity to
On April 7, 2017, a colloquium was given by Dr. Ted Davis from Messiah College. It covered the controversy surrounding religion and science during the 1920s. At the beginning of his presentation, he presented and handed out some interesting primary sources. These primary sources were pamphlets commonly used in the 1920s to promote scientific reasoning (mainly evolution) and were written by some influential scholars and preachers of the time. He briefly discussed the Scopes Trial, which is probably the most famous example of science vs religion here in the US, and used it as a jumping off point for the history leading up to this trial. From here he began to discuss how World War I had put a negative connotation on evolution due to the social
The Scopes trial, writes Edward Larson, to most Americans embodies “the timeless debate over science and religion.” (265) Written by historians, judges, and playwrights, the history of the Scopes trial has caused Americans to perceive “the relationship between science and religion in . . . simple terms: either Darwin or the Bible was true.” (265) The road to the trial began when Tennessee passed the Butler Act in 1925 banning the teaching of evolution in secondary schools. It was only a matter of time before a young biology teacher, John T. Scopes, prompted by the ACLU tested the law. Spectators and newspapermen came from allover to witness
As a whole, the 1920’s was a symbol for social rebellion. Prior to the 1920’s, women were conservative in regards to how they dressed; most never showed any ankles or anything scandalous. During this time period, women began to now change. After watching several actresses in theaters act in movies, women began to act like the actresses that they watched. These women, called “Flappers,” drank, smoked, and dressed in what was scandalous back then. Women also rebelled against their traditional domestic roles. Before the 1920’s, women would just pretty much strictly stay at home or work in factories with poor conditions. During World War I though, women stepped up and had to work the higher paying jobs that the men worked, which opened many new doors to women. They now had jobs
I think it will also touch upon the stereotypes that these bold women faced, and whether or not they were accurate assertions. The significance of this book and title is to share with the readers the impact women made on American culture, and how their feminism threatened regulations that society created before the Roaring Twenties. The table of contents highlights the structure of the book. Starting from the beginning, Latham addresses “popular mythology holds that the 1920’s were a historical milestone in American women’s achievement of political and personal autonomy,” which tells the reader that women have made their mark plenty of times throughout history, and the roaring twenties are highly romanticized. The following chapters of the book focus on the effects that clothing and theatre performance have on the image of the American woman at that
Eighty years after Tennessee v. John Scopes, 1925, know to many as the "Monkey Trial", many states south of the Mason-Dixon Line are still grappling with the same issues as the people of Dayton, Tennessee did in 1925. John Scopes, a young school teacher in the small community of Dayton, Tennessee, agreed to challenge the newly passed state law which forbade the teaching of evolution in public schools. He was tried and convicted for breaking this law and so became a martyr for science over ignorance. The trial was dubbed the "trial of the century" and tiny Dayton became the center of national attention. The trail was a battle between the forces of good and evil. Who was good and who was evil all depends on your point