History 212 Notes 3-4-14
Larson
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Trial destroy Brian- how de he react- as if he had won, said that Darrow had unfairly taken
advantage of him and his lack of scientific technical knowledge
Brian and creationism being taught in school- religious version shouldn’t be taught, believed in
separation in church and state, law had already prohibited creationism being taught in public
school
Brain died 5 days after trial Darrow believed that a legendary appetite killed him, diabetic diet
had been ignored by Brian. Didn’t believe there was anything about scientific health that he
should listen to. Killed from eating habits.
Scopes after trial was offered a contract to teach the next year but instead was provided funds
for him to go back to graduate school and would become a geologist
Teaching of evolution after trial- fundamentalists were destroyed by the trial
Dayton after trial- not really put on the map, creation of Brian College, every year there is a
reenactment of the trial
Darrow never got to argue the case in a higher court
Many writings of the case with lots of errors – Only Yesterday- fundamentalism was dealt and
fatal blow (not reality), Allen said that Brian believe the earth was created in a week in 4000 BC
but had actually admitted time could’ve been off a bit, said that Darrows questions came at
Brian with rapid fire and didn’t give Brian much time to think and that he called Brian up to the
stage without being planned out
Text book deleted everything about evolution- civic biology by hunter – very popular, TN state
text book committee had approved the text book with the references to evolution
Antievolutionists after the trial didn’t turn inwards- carried on the fight within their groups
didn’t create a spectacle
Inherit the Wind- play about the trial 1950s- was about the McCarthy witch hunters, used the
scopes trial to show that the witch trials were similar to that. Worst error the town of Dayton
absolutely hated Scopes, he faced imprisonment in the play not just a fine, but actually the town
of Dayton loved Scopes. Lots of errors throughout this play.
Religious instruction in public schools after trial was ruled unconstitutional by supreme court
1962 supreme court ruled against prayer in schools
Bible teaching outlawed in 1963
Teaching of evolution returned to the public schools in the late 1950s, National Defense
Education Act- pumped funds in to the science programs because Sputnik was lost in 1957, we
were behind in science teaching when compared to the Soviet Union.
Scopes 2 Trial- Arkansas- Susan Epperson biology teacher fired for teaching evolution
Walter Lippmann- 1940s most famous journalist- wrote about the teaching of evolution, making
an interesting argument saying the more educated tend to be less religious. Not that the elite
wanted to reject god, but because they are more rational.
2005- 1st case in northern state Dover, PA tried to require intelligent design to be taught
essentially meaning creationism being taught, this was ruled to be unconstitutional wasn’t
science it was religion. Dover is a very Amish town.
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Larson says that this debate isn’t finished.
Theistic evolution
3 phases
1. Struggle to keep evolution from being taught at all
2. 1950-1990 evolution and creationism should both be taught equally but ruled
unconstitutional
3. Evolution should just be taught as a theory
History 212 Notes 3-6-14
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Dew Deal and Great Depression
Hoovervilles were shanty towns, tents, shacks because people couldn’t afford housing. 1 out of
every 6 Americans during the great depression was homeless. Named after president hoover
who was the one who made it that way or was blamed for the great depression, but it wasn’t
hoover that caused it be he didn’t do much to alleviate it. Coolidge and Harding years were the
causes.
Causes of great depression: 1. Stock market, not the crash that causes the depression but a
result, more of stock market speculation- stock market crashed in 29 didn’t cause this
depression. 2. Easy credit, buying stocks on credit- get rich quick fever, no regulation of credit
and banks. 3. Maldistrubution of wealth – gap was enormous! 4. High tariffs- act passed when
the depression was already gone, problems with inflation. 5. Return to normalcy – big business
returning to prominence and control, acceptance of corruption no restrictions, could get away
with anything you wanted to in the economic sector.
Bonus army- group of veterans who want their bonuses that they are entitled to but wanted
them early. Government sent troops out to crush them, was a very pitiful scene, 100 or more
injured and 3 killed. Country in such bad shape.
Polio made FDR more popular- country looked at FDR and said if he can deal with that than we
can deal with this depression, anything can be overcome. Press never took photos of FDR below
the waist to not push the issue of polio.
Define FDR’s liberalism- modern political idea of liberalism 4 ingredients. 1. Government and
business; government regulations are here to stay. 2. Stand on the relationship of the
government and how people behave wants no regulation. 3. Relationship of government with
social justice not regulation but government responsibility. 4. Enlightened international outlook,
foreign policy of a liberal should be oriented towards principles and values.
2 new deal 1. First comes in first 100 days that FDR is in office, mainly concerned with programs
that will help recover. 2. All about reform.
Pragmatism- what Roosevelt is all about!
Fire side chats – chats he had on the radio with the American public. Master psychologist. The
only thing that we have to fear is fear itself. Restored faith with his fireside chats.
First new deal – 1. Emergency banking act which basically temporarily closed the banks in order
for them to come up with regulations that would help the economy. 2. CCC or the Civilian
conservation court put the unemployed to work on conservation projects, selected programs
that competed the least with the private sector. 3. AAA or agricultural adjustment act which
paid farmers not to plant crops, they were producing more than what could be consumed, if we
had less the price of their products could stay stable. 4 TVA Tennessee valley authority bring
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electricity to Kentucky, provided tons of services. 5. NRA National recovery act very
controversial due to the NRA codes. Would get key business leaders together and say if you
have to come up with a set of regulations that would make a happy economy what would it be,
first time anything like this is happening. Most businesses accepted the NRA codes but there
were some that hated them and rebelled. SICK CHICKEN CASE- poultry dealer took the NRA
codes to the supreme court because his chickens were sick and he argued that he was just
selling his chickens in NY, not interstate (between state lines), created the biggest fight of the
new deal. There was no business anymore that didn’t cross state lines. Threatened to change
retirement age or he could expand the size of the court and appoint people that supported his
idea. Got Roosevelt in trouble. Many said that he was acting like a dictator. Did cause an outcry.
In the end no one really one the fight. End result was what Roosevelt wanted because the
supreme court stopped attacking the new deal. Will pass new laws and legislation.
The 2nd new deal geared toward reform 1. Creation of social security to create a paid income
system for the elderly and disabled. 2. Wagner act NLRA national labor relations act, first time
the government legally accepted labor unions. 3. WPA works progress administration creating
jobs for the unemployed.
Populous critics of the new deal were people that made it pretty easy for Roosevelt to bring
about change cause there were people out there wanting even more change. They were
extreme reformers 1. Long- share the wealth program, anyone who made over a million dollars
were taxed 100% 2. Couglin that came up with a program to aid seniors, wanted to redistribute
wealth. 3. Townsend, medical doctor, who also advocated redistribution of wealth. All had a
radio program. Geographically spread across the country, never accused of being socialist or
communist but were actually conservatives
John L Lewis was most important labor leader, head of the mine workers and helped in founding
of CIL which will later merge with the AfofL
John Maynard Keynes – british economist, came up with idea of priming the pump, normally in
capitalist economies you have developments in the private sector that will get the economy
going, but there are going to be times where nothing in the private sector that will get the
economy going so the government has to step in to help. Deficit spending
Francis Perkins was the first woman to ever serve in a presidential cabinet, with FDR as secretary
of labor
Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath about the great depression published in
Brains trust was a group of intellectuals that had no government office, unofficial cabinet
members
Collier was head of the bureau of indian affairs, culture of pluralism, meaning that the
government and americans need to accept that there are differences in cultural values.
FDR is credited for the Good Neighbor policy – idea that America should be a better neighbor to
the latin American countries so we started pulling our troops out. Before we did this we had our
military train native national guard units which would create right wing military dictators that
were anticommunist, anything but democratic government
New deal did not end depression still in it when we enter ww2, eased the depression, changed
relationship of government with economy. Government assumed a greater responsibility