Epperson v. Arkansas

1. Epperson v. Arkansas The battle over evolution in school

2. The Case • The case was over an Arkansas statute that prohibited the teaching of evolution in any school or university run by government money. • In a Little Rock high school the school district instructed the teachers to teach using a new textbook that included Evolution, yet the statute still prohibited it. • Susan Epperson, a 10th grade biology teacher was put in a tough situation because it was a criminal offense to teach evolution in Arkansas, but if she didn’t follow the school curriculum she risked dismissal.

3. The Court’s Decision • The Chancery Court found the statute to be unconstitutional because it violated the 14th Amendment. • The Arkansas Supreme court reversed the lower courts decision saying it is showing the state controlling the schools curriculum. • The state supreme courts decision was appealed by Epperson to the U.S. Supreme Court. • The Supreme court said that the statute’s purpose was to help protect a specific religious group making it unconstitutional.

4. Where Is This In The Constitution • The courts had to interpret the 1st and 14th amendments.

5. Effect On Future Cases • The courts ruling made all other restrictions on teaching evolution in public schools be dismissed. • Some schools began putting disclaimers in their textbooks saying that evolution is only a theory. • Other schools required evolution to be taught, but biblical creation had to be taught also.