Larson 9

The opposition to evolution linked biological evolution to the scholarly study of the Bible

19th century scholars showed by textual analysis that the bible had been written over time by different authors, this made people uncomfortable
1922 cartoon: descent of the modernists

American Protestantism was changing

Religious opposition to Darwin's ideas started growing about 20 years after the publication of Origin of Species, once the scientific consensus for evolution was clear

William Jennings Bryant was a political liberal and theological conservative

Scopes Trial

Other laws against the teaching of evolution were passed on a small scale, but no one was prosecuted for breaking them

Why was opposition to evolution on religious grounds so much stronger in the US?