The accused was a slight, frightened man who had deliberately broken the law. His trial was a Roman circus. The chief gladiators were the two great legal giants of the century. Like two bull elephants locked in mortal combat, they bellowed and roared imprecations and abuse. The spectators sat uneasily in the sweltering heat with murder in their hearts, barely able to restrain themselves. At stake was the freedom of every American. Inherit the Wind is loosely based on the famous Scopes-Monkey trial, wherein the teaching of Darwins evolutionary theory in public schools was debated. coutroom, drama, evolution, education, law