Inherit the Wind

By Robert E. Lee &

Jerome Lawrence

Overview

• The Play/Authors

• Historical Context/Setting

• Main characters

• Themes

The Play

• Opened 1955 on Broadway

• Made into a film in 1960, 1988, 1999

• Historical fiction not meant to be a documentary

• Parable satirizing McCarthyism

The Authors

• Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee collaborated on 39 plays together

• Both ended their careers in L. A.

Historical Context/Setting

• Scopes v. State of Tennessee, 1925

• A test case, not a real trial

• Viewed as an historic national debate played out in a courtroom

• Called the “Trial of the Century”& the “Monkey Trial.”

Google Earth

Charges Against John Scopes

• In violation of The Butler Act

• The Butler Act forbade the exclusive teaching of the theory of evolution in the state of TN

• So what’s the big deal?

Theory of Evolution

• Posited in early 19th Century

• Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of the Species

• Published in 1859• Not intended to

incite controversy• Intended audience

of scientists

DarWin’s Theories

• Simply put, all life changes and evolves over time to adapt to its environment

• Natural Selection• Conflicts with literal

translation of the Bible

Dark Side of Evolutionary Theory

• Many unintended results/interpretations

• Eugenics

• Social Darwinism

• “Survival of the fittest”

• Nazi Germany

Facts about Scopes trial

• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

advertised for a willing violator of the Butler Act

• Paid for legal fees, fines

• Max fine $500• No jail time

Facts about Scopes trial cont.• Scopes – high school

football coach and substitute teacher hired by local merchants to violate the law

• Why would they do this?

$

Historical people and fictional counterparts

• John Scopes • Sub teacher• Answered ad from

ACLU and local merchants

• Morally indifferent

• Bert Cates• Full time bio teacher• Stands moral

ground• Spends time in jail

and faces serious charges

• Portrayed as a hero

Characters cont.

• William Jennings Bryant

• Prosecutor• Presidential

candidate 3 times• Hero for small town,

rural America

• Matthew Harrison Brady

• Prosecutor• Presidential

candidate 3 times• Portrayed as a

gluttonous, egomaniacal blowhard

Characters cont.

• Clarence Darrow• Preeminent attorney• Favored

controversial cases• “Leftist”• Paid by ACLU

• Henry Drummond• Defense attorney• Seeks symbolic

cases• Paid by Baltimore

Herald

Characters cont.

• H.L. Mencken• Writer, journalist for

Baltimore Sun• Witty, sarcastic

social critic

• E.K. Hornbeck• Reporter for

Baltimore Herald• Sharp-tongued

journalist• Supports Cates

while jeering locals

Themes

• Traditionalism vs. Modernism

• Growing pains of American culture

Industrial Revolution,

Urbanization, and multiculturalism

The End