The Scopes Trial John Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, TN, beginning around 1924. He is best known for the controversy that he caused over teaching one very touchy subject to his students, Evolution. In 1925, Tennessee passed the Butler Act which made it illegal for any teacher in a public school "to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” John Scopes was not a…
The most famous escape to ever occur at Alcatraz resulted in a battle. On May 2, 1946, five prisoners teamed up to plan an escape. Bernard Paul Coy was the head of the plan and was joined by Joseph Cretzer, Clarence Carnes, Sam Shockley, and Miran Thompson. On May 2, Joseph Cretzer covered himself with axle grease and started to climb the West End Gun Gallery. When he reached the top, he placed a bar-spreader between two bars and was able to make a ten inch opening to squeeze through. Cretzer…
Bernard Coy, Joe Cretzer, Marvin Hubbard, Sam Shockley, Miran Thompson, and Clarence Carnes overpowered the cellhouse officers. They gained control of the keys and weapons, arming themselves for escape. They knew that there plan had failed when they realized that they didn’t have the key to the recreation yard door. They fought…
Escape From Alcatraz On June 11, 1962 Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers escaped Alcatraz prison. 36 prisoners tried to perform this hard task years before but were never able to make it. Their escape was very dangerous due to the high currents and shark filled waters, somehow they managed to not become shark bait. Despite the fact that Frank Morris and the anglin brothers were never seen escape, Frank Morris and the brothers did escape alive, because frank Morris and the…
The 1920s could arguably be the era that brought America into the modern world since it was responsible for establishing the beginning of women’s rights, African American rights, mass production through assembly lines, and challenging the orthodox ways of living. However, not every citizen in America embraced the new modern way of living, especially in the south. The 1920s was a historical time period in which the orthodox south and the modern north in America clashed as they confronted the new…
Chief Justice Rehnquist was appointed by Richard Nixon, in part as a response to the Warren Court’s liberal streak, which he used as a campaign issue. During his confirmation he was met with controversy as it became apparent he in fact disagreed with the precedent set in Borwn v. Board of Education. As an associate Justice he began as states’ rights advocate, which often not only placed Rehnquist not only in the minority, but as a lone dissenter. As time wore on the Court began to become more…
Romer v. Evans is a case brought to the Supreme Court by Richard G. Evans (Respondent), a gay employee of the mayor of Denver against then Governor Roy Romers, The Attorney General of Colorado, and the State of Colorado (Petitioner). The case was centered around an amendment to the state constitution that prohibited “the state of Colorado… at any level of state or local government from adopting or enforcing any law or policy which provides that homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual orientation,…
Gary is coming home from a brutal day at the office. He had just worked through the weekend to finish a big presentation and even missed his girlfriend’s birthday party for work. After he presented he was immediately fired for a mediocre job on the report even though he put his heart and soul into it. His three best friends decided to take him out to help him get over this tough time. Three hours later, Gary was in a great mood and looked to be over the hardships he had just faced. Then his…
Robert Stroud, gangster Al Capone, and the “Birdman of Alcatraz”. Of all of the felons that had been through the prison and attempted to escape, very few had ever managed to actually get off of the island. Frank Morris along with brothers John and Clarence Anglin were three of the few men to initiate the escape of the prison. In June 1962, the three…
Early in the 20th century, a new wave of crime swept across the nation. In the 1920’s and 30’s the Volstead Act encouraged illegal alcohol distribution that became a very lucrative business. This sharp rise in crime formed organized gangs that became more and more violent. President Herbert Hoover decided at that time to crack down on crime and this led to the creation of larger, higher capacity federal prisons. Alcatraz prison was one of the products of this decision, and is possibly the most…