court cases that changed the way evolution is addressed in schools
Almost all of the biology topics taught in primary and secondary schools are based on the assumption that the theory of evolution is factual. This was not always the case. Just 50 years ago, there were court cases trying to prohibit evolution from being taught in schools because it went against the Bible. According to Coates, "Nature is often presumed to be an objective reality with universal qualities unaffected by considerations of time, culture and place an assumption especially evident in appeals to nature as a source of external authority..." (Coates, 9). And because of the blatant disregard for what had been held to be true for so long (what the Bible implies about evolution), something that was so commonly understood, survival of the fittest was met with sheer opposition. One of the most famous trials involved a high school teacher in Tennessee, trying to teach Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. Some states including Tennessee had passed statutes saying that evolution can not be taught.
Epperson vS Arkansas
This court case invalidated a statute of Arkansas law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in school. It was based on the argument that the U.S Constitution doesn't state that material that is taught in schools and doesn't have to conform to any particular beliefs of any religious sect or doctrine (Mel Tungate, 2006).
Arkansas statute that prohibited evolution from being taught was developed to conform to the social issues enveloping this states law making body. The Bible doesn't preach evolution, and so the people of Arkansas wanted to carry out the Bible's teachings to the educational system. This however conflicted with the United States belief in a country without a set of religion. Christianity was the dominant religion but by no means were there any sort of special accommodations that catered to the beliefs held by Christians---or so was the plan.
Arkansas statute that prohibited evolution from being taught was developed to conform to the social issues enveloping this states law making body. The Bible doesn't preach evolution, and so the people of Arkansas wanted to carry out the Bible's teachings to the educational system. This however conflicted with the United States belief in a country without a set of religion. Christianity was the dominant religion but by no means were there any sort of special accommodations that catered to the beliefs held by Christians---or so was the plan.
Wright vS houston i.s.d
Students from the Houston Independent School District wanted to stop the school from teaching evolution and stop the district from adopting textbooks that taught evolution. The students argument was that evolution being taught violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment (Fair).
The Court’s decision to dismissing this case was correct because had evolution been banned from being taught, the government would be endorsing Christianity which would then go against the Establishment Clause (Fair).
The Court’s decision to dismissing this case was correct because had evolution been banned from being taught, the government would be endorsing Christianity which would then go against the Establishment Clause (Fair).
Willoughby vS stever
This case is similar to Wright vs Houston I.S.D . Where Willoughby thought that textbooks that taught evolution were promoting secular humanism and thereby assuming it to be the official religion of the US. The courts dismissed this saying that evolution was being taught as a science and not related to religion (Mel Tungate, 2006).