Essay Questions for Thinking through Sources 21

Notice Point of View: From what position and with what motivation did each of the creators of these documents shape them? How did each one depict the people and perspective he or she was defending and the people and perspective he or she was attacking? How did each creator’s social and political context shape his or her message?

Make Comparisons: Each of these documents expresses some opinion about the role of religion in people’s lives and in society. What position does the creator of each one of these documents take on these questions? What do they have in common and how do they differ?

Consider Change Over Time: Although the debates in the Scopes trial centered on cultural conflicts, the debate between proponents of urban secular modernist culture on one hand and traditional religious culture on the other hand also broke along geographic lines. Darrow and his supporters tended to hail from cities in the North, while Bryan and his supporters typically represented the rural South. What did this clash between North and South have in common with the conflict between the two regions that led to the Civil War in 1860? In what aspects was it different? What does the comparison suggest about the extent to which the South had changed since the 1860s and the ways in which it had not?

Consider Outcomes: What predictions did the creators of these sources make about how the outcome of the trial would shape the future of religion, of education, and of society in the United States? To what extent were they right and wrong about what would take place? Do you think that the questions that provoked this conflict in the 1920s have been resolved, or do these questions continue to resonate in the United States today? Use details to support your answer.