The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 will be the focus of the Milford Museum’s American History Series for April. The program, entitled The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925: Faith, Reason and Public Education will be held at the Milford Public Library on Saturday, April 11 starting at 1 PM.
“The Scopes Monkey Trial was a culture war more than 100 years ago,” Executive Director Tom Summers said. “It brought together two well-known personalities of the time, Clarence Darrow, the “lawyer for the damned,” and William Jennings Bryan, the former three-time candidate for president. It was also the first trial ever broadcast on national radio.”
Summers stated that the Scopes Monkey trial was a publicity stunt by the town of Dayton, Tennessee to bolster their local economy. It was also an outgrowth of an effort by the state of Tennessee to ban the teaching of evolution in biology classes in public schools, an effort led by Bryan. The defense, led by Darrow in the criminal trial, hoped to educate the public about evolutionary science.
“The Scopes Monkey Trial case eventually reached the Supreme Court fo the United States,” Summers said. “Throughout the trial, Darrow worked to undermine the efforts to ban the teaching of evolution.”
The program will be presented by Lew Miller, a teacher who spent 47 years in the classroom. Miller taught U.S. and world history before becoming a district administrator, retiring as the Caesar Rodney School District’s Director of Instruction. He has spoken at both state and national conferences. He also co-founded a consulting business, Educationally Speaking, LLC. Today, he helps with legal research for a law firm.
The American History series is held the second Saturday of every month at the Milford Public Library. The topics focus on local, state and national history. The Milford Public Library is located at 11 Southeast Front Street in Milford. For more information, call 302-424-1080 or send an email. These programs are offered through a generous grant from the Delaware Heritage Commission.
