Summer of the Gods : Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion

Pairing archival material from both the Bryan prosecution and the Darrow defence, this text provides an historical and legal analysis in its interpretation of a pivotal event in American history. The Scopes trial, in the summer of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, began an ensuing debate over science, religion and their place in public education.

The "monkey trial", not only cast Dayton into the national spotlight but marked a watershed in the national discussion of science and religion and epitomized America's ongoing struggle between individual liberty and majoritarian democracy.

In addition to symbolizing the clash between evolutionist and creationist camps, the trial helped shape the development of both popular religion and constitutional law in the United States, serving as a precedent for more recent legal and political battles.