The Scopes Trial: People and Events - Essay Example

John Scopes’s role in the Scopes trial was that of the defendant, owing to the fact that he was the teacher who went against the Tennessee State’s law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools, by openly doing it at the high school he was teaching science (PBS, n.p.).

Clarence Darrow was the defense lawyer for the accused in the Scopes Trial, who defended the right of John Scopes to teach evolution and the Darwin theory in class (PBS, n.p.). He did not only defend Scopes fiercely but also used it as a platform to engage his longtime rival in matters of religion, William Jennings Bryan (PBS, n.p.).

William Jennings Bryan testified in the Scopes Trial as an expert in Biblical matters, but behind the scenes, the testimony was meant to create a platform where he would engage Clarence Darrow on the subject of evolution, which Bryan was completely opposed to (PBS, n.p.). In the courtroom, their contest of ideas between the Biblical stand and the concept of evolution in science almost sparked a physical fight.