THE SCOPES TRIAL: Defending the Right to Teach

Part of the Spotlight on American History series, The Scopes Trial is a clear, if lackluster, account of the events leading up to, and the historical significance of, the 1925 Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tenn. When 24-year-old John Scopes, football coach and math teacher at the Rhea County Central High School, substituted for the regular science teacher at the end of a term, he had no idea he was about to make history. But because Scopes taught theories of evolution -- theories that were flatly denied by Christian fundamentalists -- in his classroom, he had broken a state law and had to stand trial. Readers unfamiliar with the event will find this a thorough, though not especially compelling, treatment of the subject. Aided by fine, period-appropriate sepia-tone photographs. Bibliography; chronology; index.