Title: W. B. Ragsdale Papers

Date/Date Range :   circa 1952

Extent: 0.1 linear feet

Abstract:

The W.B. Ragsdale Papers, ca. 1952, include a letter entitled "A Few Random Recollections of the Tennessee Evolution Trial" from Mr. Ragsdale, an Associated Press reporter, about the Scopes Evolution Trial in Dayton, TN, during the summer of 1925.

Call number: MS-2277

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Aquisition Information:

Collection donated to Special Collections in September 2000.

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Copyright:

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of Item], W. B. Ragsdale Papers, MS-2277. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of a single folder.

W. B. Ragsdale (1898-1986) reported for the Associated Press. He covered many events, including the Scopes Evolution Trial, William Jennings Bryan, and President Eisenhower's departure from Dulles Airport. The Scopes Trial took place in the town of Dayton, TN, during the summer of 1925. John Thomas Scopes, a high school teacher, was arrested and charged for teaching evolution in school, then forbidden by Tennessee law. Clarence Darrow and Dudley Field Malone were two of the more famous defense lawyers, while William Jennings Bryan, former presidential candidate, headed the prosecution. The trial spotlighted the little town, and today Dayton hosts Bryan College, named for the eloquent orator who defended fundamentalist Christianity.

The W.B. Ragsdale Papers, ca. 1952, include a letter entitled "A Few Random Recollections of the Tennessee Evolution Trial" from Mr. Ragsdale to one of his daughter's friends about the Scopes Evolution Trial in Dayton, TN, during the summer of 1925. The letter describes the atmosphere of the courtroom, including the judge's concessions to the voter's opinions and to William Jennings Bryan - "one of the jurors in the trial came up the walk with a bouquet for Mr. Bryan." Ragsdale also recounts following Bryan, information about the lawyers for the defense and prosecution, and meeting Scopes - "he had no wish to cash in on the publicity."

• Scopes Trial -- Tennessee -- Dayton.
• Dayton (Tenn.) -- History.
• United States -- Politics and Government -- 1923-1929.