The Scopes Trial at 100: Secularism, Race, and Education

Adam Laats is Professor of Education and History at Binghamton University (State University of New York). He completed his PhD in US History in 2006 at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he studied under the late Ron Numbers. Laats is the author of six books, including Fundamentalism and Education in the Scopes Era (2010); Fundamentalist U (2018); and Creationism USA (2020). He offers commentary about history, education, and culture wars in The Atlantic, Slate, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.

With a Ph.D. in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a J.D. from Harvard, Edward J. Larson is the author of fifteen books on history, science, religion, and law including the Pulitzer Prize winning Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion. Larson’s next book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters, which is due out in late 2025, centers largely on Philadelphia.

Charles McCrary is an assistant professor of religious studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the author of Sincerely Held: American Secularism and Its Believers (University of Chicago Press, 2022). His work has been published in academic journals including the Journal of the American Academy of Religion and Religion & American Culture, as well as popular outlets such as Religion & Politics, The Revealer, and The New Republic. He is currently working on two book projects related to science, religion, secularism, and eugenics.

Myrna Perez is Associate Professor at Ohio University, jointly appointed in Classics & Religious Studies and in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies. She is the co-editor of Critical Approaches to Science and Religion (Columbia University Press, 2023) and author of Criticizing Science: Stephen Jay Gould and the Struggle for American Democracy (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024). 

Dr. Shantá R. Robinson is Senior Research Director, Inclusive Economy Lab and Research Associate, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago. She holds a PhD in educational policy and foundations from the University of Michigan and is a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award. Her research applies rigorous qualitative analyses to empirically examine imbalances in power, privilege, and opportunity and raise critical issues of social justice in process and outcomes. Her publications explore topics of educational and racial inequity, including her historical analysis, “A Crusader and an Advocate: The Black Press, the Scopes Trial, and Educational Progress.”
 

Adam R. Shapiro is a historian of science and religion in America. He earned his Ph.D. in Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science from the University of Chicago in 2007 and is the author of Trying Biology: The Scopes Trial, Textbooks, and the Antievolution Movement in American Schools (2013) and co-author with Thomas Dixon of the second edition of the Oxford Very Short Introduction to Science and Religion (2022).