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U.S. GOVERNMENT 3: Evolution Debate In Pennsylvania Trial

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is being debated this week in a federal courtroom in Dover, Pennsylvania. Eight families are challenging the Dover School District’s plan to teach “intelligent design” to its high school biology students.

Darwin was a nineteenth-century British naturalist who formulated the theory of evolution--the belief that all life on Earth evolved (developed and changed gradually) over millions of years. Darwin believed that humans, animals, and even plants change in order to adapt to the environment, enabling survival of the species.

Intelligent design refers to the belief that life is the product of an unidentified intelligent force. Proponents of intelligent design believe that Darwin’s theories cannot fully explain the origin of life or the development of complex life forms.

Parents challenging the school district are being represented by lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union. They protest that the school board is violating the constitutional separation of church and state by requiring that teachers read a statement to students about intelligent design before classes on evolution. The statement claims that Darwin’s theory has many “gaps” and is “not a fact.” The school district argues that it is not endorsing a religious view; it is merely informing students that there are differences of opinion about evolution.

Eighty years ago, John Scopes, a science teacher in Tennessee, won the right to teach evolution in school in a highly publicized trial. The trial set proponents of evolution against those who favored a biblical account of creation.

--Written by Patricia Daniels

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