Humanist profile: Clarence Darrow 1925 Scopes trial attorney."The fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God is the death of wisdom. Skepticism and doubt lead to study and investigation, and investigation is the beginning of wisdom. --Clarence Darrow in Why I Am an Agnostic One of the most famous lawyers in U.S. history, Clarence Seward Darrow is best known as a defender of civil liberties and champion of the underdog. Famously known for his passionate and moving trial speeches, he was also a national lecturer and writer on the subjects of agnosticism agnosticism (ăgnŏs`tĭsĭzəm), form of skepticism that holds that the existence of God cannot be logically proved or disproved. Among prominent agnostics have been Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, and T. H. and freethought, and was an Ethical Culturist. Born in Kinsman, Ohio Kinsman is an unincorporated community in southern Kinsman Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44428.[1] It lies along State Route 7 between Andover and Hubbard. , on April 18, 1857, Darrow was raised by a Unitarian minister who would later reject faith and raise Darrow as an agnostic. After completing his studies at the University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School, located in Ann Arbor, is a unit of the University of Michigan. The Law School, founded in 1859, currently has an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students, most of whom are earning the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Master of Laws (LLM). , he became a member of the Ohio bar at age twenty-one. He moved to Chicago in 1877, where he became the general attorney for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. After resigning this position, he gained fame for his involvement in labor and criminal cases, arguing for a greater understanding of the social causes of crime. Darrow defended many figures in some of America's most famous court cases, including socialist Eugene V. Debs in the Pullman Strike Pullman strike, in U.S. history, an important labor dispute. On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. of 1894 and young Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in a sensational Chicago murder trial in 1924. However, he is best remembered as the defense attorney in the Scopes "monkey" trial of 1925, where he challenged Tennessee's anti-evolution law and squared off with creationist defender William Jennings William Jennings is the name of several historical figures including:
Darrow wrote several books, including Crime: Its Cause and Treatment (1925), The Prohibition Mania (1927), and The Story of My Life (1932). Other essays include The Myth of the Soul, Absurdities of the Bible, and Why I Am An Agnostic. The Scopes trial and Darrow himself would later become the basis for the fictional play and film, Inherit the Wind (1960). He died in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 1938. American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is an educational organization in the United States that advances Humanism. It is the original Humanist organization, and embraces secular, religious, and other manifestations of Humanist philosophy. 1777 T Street NW Washington, DC 20009-7125 202.238.9088 800.837.3792 fax 202.238.9003 www.AmericanHumanist.org AHA@AmericanHumanist.org |
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