Historical program to spotlight Scopes Monkey Trial April 11
The Milford Museum American History Series will present Lew Miller speaking on “The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925: Faith, Reason and Public Education” at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 11, at Milford Public Library, 11 SE Front St., Milford.
The Scopes Monkey Trial centered on a culture war more than 100 years ago. It brought together two well-known personalities of the time, Clarence Darrow, the so-called lawyer for the damned, and William Jennings Bryan, a three-time presidential candidate. It was also the first trial ever to be broadcast on national radio, and it was a public relations stunt by the town of Dayton, Tenn., to bolster the local economy.
The trial was an outgrowth of an effort by the State of Tennessee to ban evolution from the teaching of biology in the state’s public schools, led by Bryan. The defense, led by Darrow in the criminal trial, hoped to educate the nationwide public about evolutionary science and eventually to reach the Supreme Court of the United States in an attempt to undermine, once and for all, the efforts to ban evolution from biology teaching.
Lew Miller worked in public education for 47 years. He taught U.S. and world history, then served as a district administrator, finishing as Caesar Rodney School District director of instruction. He has been a speaker at both state and national education conferences. He also co-founded a consulting business, Educationally Speaking LLC. Currently, he helps conduct legal research for a law firm.
Sponsored by the Milford Museum, these monthly programs focus on a variety of topics concerning local, state and national history. For more information, contact the museum at 302-424-1080 or email tom@milfordDEmuseum.org. The programs are offered through a generous grant from the Delaware Heritage Commission.
