The Scopes Trial reveled a split between the scientific and religious community.
The Scopes Trial was based on the actions of John T. Scopes. Scopes was a substitute teacher in the state of Tennessee who was arrested for teaching about the theory of evolution. He was arrested because their was a Tennessee state law that said teachers must only teach creationism (the idea that God created all things on Earth).
This question of science versus religion caused many people to take one of the two sides. Members of the religious community who did not believe in the theory of evolution wanted Scopes punished for what he had done. On the other hand, the scientific community supported Scopes, as he was teaching content manner that they felt was important to understanding the development of humans.