New Exhibit Open House: Wednesday, Feb. 12

All are invited to an open house for our new Law Library exhibit:

"Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100"

When: Wednesday, February 12, from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center (N30, Subplaza level, past Legal Grounds and Student Orgs. in N20).

Snacks, fruit, and refreshments will be served!

One of our most storied courtroom dramas, the 1925 Scopes Trial became a national sensation and the focal point of a public debate over the places of evolution and religion in public education. At trial and on appeal, the defense team aimed to test the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that prohibited teaching that humans were the product of Darwinian evolution, or similar theories of human descent. 

Raising profound questions concerning the freedom of religion, free speech, and due process, the trial did not overturn the anti-evolution law, but thrust contemporary tensions between science and fundamentalism further into the national consciousness. Over the past century, the Scopes Trial has continued to influence public discourse about the teaching of evolution and the role of religion in public schools. For its impacts in the courtroom and classroom, the Scopes Trial remains an important chapter in American history.

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100,” commemorates the centennial of the case, inviting viewers to revisit the trial’s cultural context, as well as its prominent figures, issues, and legacy. The exhibit also highlights the role played at trial by famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow, and the University of Minnesota Law Library’s preeminent Clarence Darrow Collection, more than 1,000 letters written by and to the great trial attorney, together with speeches, debates and other material by and about Darrow. Drawn from this collection, the exhibit features letters, books, pamphlets, cultural artifacts, and a trove of court documents from the case. 

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100” was curated by Ryan Greenwood, Sophia Charbonneau, Joy Brown, and Michael Hannon.