Going Ape: Florida's Battles over Evolution in the Classroom

by Brandon Haught

Overview

Before William Jennings Bryan successfully prosecuted John Scopes in the infamous “Scopes Monkey Trial,” he was a prominent antievolution agitator in Florida.

In Going Ape, Brandon Haught tells the riveting story of how the war over teaching evolution began and unfolded in Florida, one of the nation’s bellwether states. It still simmers just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to engulf the state.

The saga opens with the first shouts of religious persecution and child endangerment in 1923 Tallahassee and continues today with forced delays and extra public hearings in state-level textbook adoptions. These ceaseless battles feature some of the most colorful culture warriors imaginable: a real estate tycoon throwing his fortune into campaigns in Miami; lawmakers attempting to insert the mandatory teaching of creationism into bills; and pastors and school board members squabbling in front of the national media that descends into their small town. The majority of participants, however, have been, and still are, average people, and Haught expertly portrays these passionate citizens and the sense of moral duty that drives each of them.

Given a social climate where the teaching of evolution continues to sharply divide neighbors and communities, Going Ape is a must-read for anyone concerned with the future of public education.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813047577
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	04/22/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	288
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Brandon Haught is a former Marine Corps combat correspondent and current public information officer with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. He is a founding board member and volunteer communications director for Florida Citizens for Science.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" 1

2 "Un-American, Atheistic, Subversive, and Communistic" 24

3 "A Spirit of Compromise and Conciliation" 51

4 "A History of Hoaxes, Deception, and Deceit" 71

5 "A Conspiracy to Destroy the Faith of Children" 91

6 "It Was Historic, Wasn't It?" 102

7 "One of the Primal Evils in Our Country" 122

8 "There Are Razor Blades in That Apple" 139

9 "I Want God to Be Part of This" 162

10 "Who Gets to Decide What Is Science?" 187

11 "Standing Up for the Little Guy" 220

Epilogue 232

Acknowledgments 235

Notes 237

Index 269

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“William Jennings Bryan launched the creationist crusade from his home in Florida, and the state has been a battlefield in the evolution wars ever since. In Going Ape, Haught provides the definitive blow-by-blow account of the Sunshine State’s ninety-year struggle over the teaching of evolution.”—Glenn Branch, deputy director, National Center for Science Education
 
“A fascinating and important account of the battles over evolution in one of the nation's largest states.”—Michael Ruse, author of The Gaia Hypothesis
 
“A compelling read about key issues of our time that have stirred deep passions and fervent protests for over a century.”—Edgar Canter Brown Jr., coauthor of The Supreme Court of Florida, 1917–1972
 
 

Editorial Reviews

"Admirably impartial . . . [and] populated with colorful personalities: angry activists, ambitious politicians, harried teachers, torn and troubled school board members. [Going Ape is] a thorough treatment of creation-evolution debates taking place in settings that scholars have studied too little."—Florida Historical Quarterly



"A born storyteller, Haught offers interesting, lively, and well-paced accounts of the events he describes, providing a satisfying survey of controversy with deep historical roots that continues to affect science education even today."—Evolution: Education and Outreach



"Going Ape is informative, helping to put the nationwide exploits of the anti-evolutionists in perspective, and, as a bonus, it is enjoyable to read."—Reports of the National Center for Science Education



"This volume occupies a unique place in the burgeoning literature about evolution/creationism battles in the US....Recommended."—Choice



"An exhaustive history of the efforts in the Legislature and local school boards to stop or counter the teaching of evolution over the past 90 years."—Daytona Beach News-Journal



"As Haught follows the battle over evolution from churches to school boards to the Legislature, the book starts to feel like that dog-eared whodunit you drag out to read each summer vacation."—Tallahassee Democrat



"A meticulous account of the 90-year debate over the teaching of evolution in Florida’s public schools... full of high drama and raw emotion."—The Weekly Standard





"An excellent source on the intersection between science and Florida politics and how the debates have shaped education and the industry related to it."—Journal of Southern History

From the Publisher

03/15/2014
That Darwinism has been debated since the 1920s suggests that the issue goes beyond the realm of science. As Haught (public information officer, Volusia Cty. Sheriff's Office) points out, the acceptance of evolution—and particularly the teaching of evolution—is more of an emotional than an intellectual struggle. In what is essentially a "micro history," Haught shows how the tenor of the debate has shifted over time: from William Jennings Bryan's struggle against "monkey teaching" in the 1920s (Bryan moved to Florida at the conclusion of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial), up to the present. Each chapter surveys a different time period and examines the types of legislation that were proposed, how each bill sought to moderate evolution's influence in the classroom, and how the legislation fared. For this reviewer, it would have been helpful to hear more about how Haught, a nonacademic, researched the book, as he inadequately explains the differences among the various parts of Florida where these debates play out. Also, the author's claim that Florida deserves special scrutiny because it is "a reflection of the whole country" fails to convince. VERDICT This book will likely appeal to a narrow range of readers only.—Seth Kershner, Northwestern Connecticut Community Coll. Lib., Winsted

Library Journal

Read More