86 years ago this month in a small court room in Tennessee one of the most important and influential trials in American history was taking place. That trial was the Scopes Monkey trial. The state of Tennessee v Scopes, which is its legal designation, concerned the violation of the Butler Law in Tennessee which prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools. The importance of this trial cannot be overlooked and in a press statement released today July 11, 2011, the Smithsonian Institution, announced that they are releasing never before seen photos of this historic trial on the Flickr commons site.
These photos document the trial and show new witness portraits that have not been seen before. They were taken by the managing editor of the Science Service, a syndicated wire service of the time, Watson Davis. The Smithsonian has also included descriptions to accompany these photographs which detail the history behind them in order to help audiences better understand the importance of this case. These photos will also be joined by a series of 10 photos concerning the trial that were donated to the Smithsonian in 2010 by Henrietta Silverman Jenrette. The Smithsonian hopes to make the material more readily available to public audiences stated, head of Archives' Web and New Media Team, Effie Kapsalis. She also goes on to say during the release that the Smithsonian enjoys the enthusiasm of its patrons and looks forward to their insights on the subject.
The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846 through a donation by James Smithsonian. Since its inception it has led the world in scientific study and discovery as well as being a leader in preservation of historical sites and collections. To learn more about the Smithsonian Institution please visit their site by clicking here.
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