Emma G. - Inherit the Wind


The film Inherit the Wind focused on a trial which touched on a important philosophical and jurisprudential concept mentioned throughout American history: the separation of Church and State. This ideology was at the forefront of this film as the trial showcased a school teacher who taught Darwinian evolution to his class, going against what is taught in the Bible. Although the separation of the Church and State was a clear issue on the surface of the trial, digging a little deeper we learn a lot more is at stake. If the teacher is found to be guilty, the court is suppressing his individual freedoms. In addition, when the knowledge taught in schools is suppressed, the freedom of thought is suppressed. In short, by limiting what is thought in the Hillsboro school system, its citizens aren't free to think about concepts other than those that are biblically justified. 

If the school system won this trial, the coursework would remain biblical. Although society would be conformed to only act, learn, and think in ways that were ethical in the eyes of God. However, if the school teacher won the case, religion would be challenged; This was something deeply engrained in the Hillsboro culture. Within the film, it seemed as if the two sides were too different; One couldn't tolerate the other. Similar differences can be found in our school systems today when considering the teachings of critical race theory (CRT). Both Idaho and North Dakota have legislation that specifically bans the teaching of CRT, while several other states have indirect attacks against it. The separation of Church and State debate can also be highlighted when students are instructed to state the Pledge of Allegiance as part of their education program. While some schools enforced their students to take this pledge and say the line "one nation under God," others do not as it has been argued that forcing them to recite it goes against their First Amendment right. Although Darwinian ideas are taught in most biology classes, the Church is still not truly separate from our school systems.

Comments

  1. David BernellFebruary 20, 2023 at 11:43 AM

    This post points to how the stakes -- in the past and the present -- with respect to what is taught in the schools becomes a battle in which opposing sides see no room for compromise. And as this says, the battle over how to teach about the history of racism in the US has become a new battleground.

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