Page 1
Name:_____________________________________________ Date:_______________ Class:_____________
The 1920s: Warren G. Harding and the Scopes Trial
Warren G. Harding’s Problems
- A group of influential men who assisted President Harding and were from his home state
were called the “Ohio Gang.” Many asserted they mislead Harding to pursue corruption.
- For instance, in Teapot Dome, Wyoming, oil rich lands were set aside for the government.
Yet, Albert Fall, Secretary of Interior, accepted a bribe of $400,000.00 to lease the land to
private oil companies.
- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Republican Politics in the 1920s
- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
- The Republican economic policy of the 1920s can be described as a trickledown
economics system with low taxes on the rich and little regulation for the stock market.
- The American economy saw a surge in economic activity in this decade and businesses
gained immense wealth. Yet, the Great Depression soon followed.
Evolution
- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
- In the 1800s, many religious theists, especially fundamentalists, attributed this diversity to
the notion that God created all living things individually.
- Darwin disagreed with this claim. He taught that evolution was the process that naturally
created the diverse species on the planet.
Darwin Publishes His Theory
- In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species to elaborate on this theory of evolution.
- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
- The future generations of these beings morph over time based on adaptations they have
experienced.
Fundamentalist Christianity
- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
- Fundamentalists believe the God of Christianity created all things, the Bible was inspired by
God, and the creation narrative in the Bible is to be interrupted rigidly as seven literal days
of creation.
- Many citizens of the USA, especially in the South, practiced Fundamentalist Christianity in
the 1920s and many also rejected the teaching of evolution as irreconcilable with their
interpretation of the Bible.
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Page 2
Modernists & Secularists in the 1920s
- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
- Numerous secularists were atheists, agnostics, and deists who believed that the Bible was a
collection of writings and myths, not God’s word.
- While fundamentalists believed Darwinism went against their faith, other followers of
Christianity, such as Modernists, felt Darwinism was compatible with Christianity.
The Scopes “Monkey” Trial
- In March of 1925, Tennessee banned the teaching of evolution. John T. Scopes, a teacher,
went against the law and taught the topic in a biology class.
- Two lawyers faced off in the case. Clarence Darrow defended Scopes against William
Jennings Bryan, a Fundamentalist.
- _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
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All Rights Reserved.
Page 3
Name:_____________________________________________ Date:_______________ Class:_____________
FULL NOTES:
The 1920s: Warren G. Harding and the Scopes Trial
Warren G. Harding’s Problems
- A group of influential men who assisted President Harding and were from his home state
were called the “Ohio Gang.” Many asserted they mislead Harding to pursue corruption.
- For instance, in Teapot Dome, Wyoming, oil rich lands were set aside for the government.
Yet, Albert Fall, Secretary of Interior, accepted a bribe of $400,000.00 to lease the land to
private oil companies.
- This was called the Teapot Dome Scandal and many asserted it proved that Harding was
incompetent to stop corruption from occurring in the government.
Republican Politics in the 1920s
- Warren G. Harding served from 1921-1923 and died of a heart attack in office. Calvin
Coolidge was the Vice President to Harding and served from 1923-1929.
- The Republican economic policy of the 1920s can be described as a trickledown
economics system with low taxes on the rich and little regulation for the stock market.
- The American economy saw a surge in economic activity in this decade and businesses
gained immense wealth. Yet, the Great Depression soon followed.
Evolution
- A scientist named Charles Darwin sought to explain why there is such diversity among living
things in the 1800s.
- In the 1800s, many religious theists, especially fundamentalists, attributed this diversity to
the notion that God created all living things individually.
- Darwin disagreed with this claim. He taught that evolution was the process that naturally
created the diverse species on the planet.
Darwin Publishes His Theory
- In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species to elaborate on this theory of evolution.
- According to Darwin, living beings compete for resources, such as food, the fittest survive
and then they pass their traits to their decedents. The weaker beings die out.
- The future generations of these beings morph over time based on adaptations they have
experienced.
Fundamentalist Christianity
- Fundamentalist Christianity is a conservative form of Christianity that maintains a rigid
interpretation of the Bible.
- Fundamentalists believe the God of Christianity created all things, the Bible was inspired by
God, and the creation narrative in the Bible is to be interrupted rigidly as seven literal days
of creation.
- Many citizens of the USA, especially in the South, practiced Fundamentalist Christianity in
the 1920s and many also rejected the teaching of evolution as irreconcilable with their
interpretation of the Bible.
Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.
Page 4
Modernists & Secularists in the 1920s
- Many secularists believed living things evolved overtime and originated from non-living
things, a process called abiogenesis.
- Numerous secularists were atheists, agnostics, and deists who believed that the Bible was a
collection of writings and myths, not God’s word.
- While fundamentalists believed Darwinism went against their faith, other followers of
Christianity, such as Modernists, felt Darwinism was compatible with Christianity.
The Scopes “Monkey” Trial
- In March of 1925, Tennessee banned the teaching of evolution. John T. Scopes, a teacher,
went against the law and taught the topic in a biology class.
- Two lawyers faced off in the case. Clarence Darrow defended Scopes against William
Jennings Bryan, a Fundamentalist.
- The issue at hand was whether or not evolution should be taught at public schools. Scopes
lost and was fined $100 for teaching evolution.
Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.