Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Tennessee made it a misdemeanor to teach "any theory that denies the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible" in public schools. Civic Biology (by George Hunter) was explicitly cited as a prohibited text.
Rural, Protestant Tennessee saw evolution as a direct contradiction of Genesis. Teaching it = attacking faith.
Many conflated biological evolution with "survival of the fittest" applied to society—justifying racism, eugenics, and laissez-faire cruelty.
Tight-knit communities viewed outside scientific ideas as threats to identity, morality, and parental authority.
Most citizens lacked exposure to modern biology. The biblical account was the only framework they knew.
The Butler Act was a cultural panic response—not a scientific debate. It revealed deep fractures in American society that persist today.