One hundred years ago this July, a small Tennessee courtroom became ground zero for one of America's most consequential cultural battles—and the reverberations of that 1925 showdown continue to shape the fight for the soul of American education today.
In Dayton, Tennessee, high school teacher John Scopes stood trial for violating state law by teaching Darwin's theory of evolution to his students. What unfolded was far more than a simple legal proceeding—it was a clash between traditional American values and the rising tide of secular progressive ideology that sought to reshape the nation's institutions.
The names and issues have changed, but the fundamental battle continues: Will America's children be taught to love and understand their nation, or will activist educators reshape their minds to serve a progressive agenda?
