The roaring 20's, a definitive time for change in the world. An introducing to new technologies and philosophies is sweeping the country and with it a change that is met with opposition. A notable event that affects everyone, is the infamous “Monkey Trials.” The lasting effect of a mockingly laughable monkey trial, was felt in many areas of everybody’s lives. Specifically the impact felt was seen through media, changes in personal intellect and the transition from traditional to modern values.
“Not only was the trial heavily covered; it changed its nature to accommodate the coverage.” This case drastically altered the scale and the hype of any media until that time. The presiding judge, allowed radio lines into the courtroom, paused proceedings to allow photographers time to snap a shot, and even moved the entire trial outside to allow every person a chance to view it. The fact that this “media event” was probably the most heavily covered hype of it’s time, but that the hype became more important than the trial itself. “The real trial, it was agreed, was taking place in the newspapers. The things the jury never got exposed to got the heaviest emphasis around the nation.” Newspapers and magazines carried innumerable articles and cartoons on the case, and telegraph operators wired stories to Europe and Australia. For the first time news of an American trial was nationally broadcast by radio, while thousands of people came to Dayton itself to take in what became a virtual carnival, complete with sideshows.
“Modern life had become too complex for ordinary householders to get along with the help of experts.” During the trial, Clarence Darrow saw his defense as a “vehicle for affecting the public,” one that which had little opportunity of winning, but in due course tooks it’s affect among those who heard his argument. Mr. Darrow, in a risky move, brought in outside experts to testify which, “was not only an affront to local pride but a relatively risky new procedure in law.” The times changing, with technology and scientology among other things, saw the need for the everyday person to have his/her life explained to them by an expert. The case changed a lot of the purpose of a normal person being able to consider complex thoughts and discriminate logical possibilities without a broken down explanation.
“Consequently, the primary importance of family, home, church, and local community began to recede in national life.
Pagan writes a captivating story mingled with the challenges of the Eastern Shore legal system. This book gives a complete explanation backed up by research and similar cases as evidence of the ever-changing legal system. It should be a required reading for a history or law student.
Hariman, R. “Performing the Laws: Popular Trials and Social Knowledge” from Popular Trials: Rhetoric, Mass Media, and the Law, Robert Hariman, ed(s)., University of Alabama Press, 1990. 17-30.
The 1920’s, also known as the “Roaring Twenties”, was a period of peace and prosperity that overshadowed the losses of the Great War. There were flappers, Prohibition; and widespread popularity of Jazz music. Apart from this culture, the Scopes Monkey Trial would become a widespread controversy between traditionalism and modernity. Traditionalists would have a more conservative view, while the Modernists would have a more liberal behavior.
The Scopes 'Monkey Trial' - July 10, 1925 - July 25, 1925. University of Virginia American Studies. 16 May 2007
The New York Times bestseller book titled Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case examines the O.J. Simpson criminal trial of the mid-1990s. The author, Alan M. Dershowitz, relates the Simpson case to the broad functions and perspectives of the American criminal justice system as a whole. A Harvard law school teacher at the time and one of the most renowned legal minds in the country, Dershowitz served as one of O.J. Simpson’s twelve defense lawyers during the trial. Dershowitz utilizes the Simpson case to illustrate how today’s criminal justice system operates and relates it to the misperceptions of the public. Many outside spectators of the case firmly believed that Simpson committed the crimes for which he was charged for. Therefore, much of the public was simply dumbfounded when Simpson was acquitted. Dershowitz attempts to explain why the jury acquitted Simpson by examining the entire American criminal justice system as a whole.
During the 1920’s, many political issues were prominent within the United States, particularly within the federal government. Several problems included those regarding immigration, the eighteenth and nineteenth amendments to the constitution, and scandals, including the Teapot Dome Scandal. These specific topics contributed to the title, “The Roaring Twenties”, and also ultimately led into a depression.
With the help from F. Lee Bailey, who spent five years appealing the verdict; all the way to the Supreme Court, released Sheppard from prison granting retrial for inherently prejudicial publicity (Rompalske 20). Although Sheppard was found not guilty in 1966, his life had been des...
A whirlwind of controversy arose in November 2002, when Judge Ted Poe, ruled that PBS’s Frontline could film jury deliberations in the trial of Cedric Harrison, 17, who faces the death penalty for allegedly killing a man during a car-jacking. In validating his ruling, Poe held that “cameras in courts keep the system honest” and are an important tool for civic education.1 Poe approved Frontline’s proposal, in which an unobtrusive ceiling camera would be used and no full-time cameraman would be necessary. Frontline had planned to edit the deliberations and broadcast them approximately one year following the verdict as part of a two-to-three hour documentary that would spotlight Harris County, whose juries have sentenced more people to death than juries in any other county in the U.S.2
The Roaring 20's was era in which America call it many name such as the “The Jazz Age”, “Harlem Renaissance”, “The Age of Intolerance”, “The Age of Wonderful Nonsense” and many more titles. It a time where America has dramatic social and political changes for its citizens. Where America and its peoples was rumbustious and carefree from the possibilities changes. But, however, even if it creates new changes for America, not all of it was good.
It has been named the Trial Of the Century. Everyone’s eyes were glued to their television screens. Everyone’s jaws were dropped while listening to the radio. And the only thing they wanted to know; was O.J Simpson guilty? The talented running back turned TV personality was being tried for two murders. In the end O.J. was acquitted. It came as a shock to many, as well as a victory to others. With a handful of evidence against him, some thought there was no way he could be found not guilty. O.J. Simpson’s “dream team” was able to win the case because the prosecution did not evaluate the evidence close enough before presenting it in trial.
The twentieth century is coming to a close and it has been a time of sorrow, innovation, and progress. The decades have come and gone and with events like the civil rights movement, the world wars, and the roaring twenties this century will be one that is definitely remembered. All of these events questioned peoples values, especially the values of autonomy and responsibility. The event that is to be looked at on this page is the roaring twenties and how the governments and citizens actions reflected these values in both positive and negative ways. The areas of socialness, literature, The Mafia, prohibition, the government, and the economy are all areas that will be focused on to demonstrate these positive and negative reflections. The group members individually looked at these areas and put together information on the actions of the people in these areas and if they were autonomous, responsible, or both.
The Roaring Twenties, with all of its abundance and new freedoms, can certainly be described as a break from tradition of every sort. Womanhood was being redefined, music was undergoing a jazzy revolution, and new inventions were transforming day to day life. This break from tradition represented the ideals of the 1920s, but the grave experiences such as the “red scare” and the disillusioned culture also played a huge role in this era.
The Roaring Twenties was America’s golden age. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said,“The parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the liquor was cheaper” (“People” PBS). The cultural undertone of the twenties was very different from the times before and during World War I. “ For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms…people from coast to coast bought the same goods…listened to the same music, did the same dances, and even used the same slang” (“Roaring” History). The Twenties was a time of social and cultural change. During this time, things like the automobile and jazz became more popular and mainstream. These things were possible because America
Introductory Paragraph: The 1920s were years of political controversy and defying social. standards, this time in Canada would mark an era which would pioneer the way for those to come in. regards to daring fashion, radical opinions, progressive technologies and political changes. “ The Roaring Twenties” is a phrase often used when describing this period of time in North America. phrase is justified by the cultural and artistic diversity of the time, it was a period of glamour and prosperity for many of us.
Fairchild, H. & Cowan, G (1997). Journal of Social Issues. The O.J. Simpson Trial: Challenges to Science and Society.