Part 2, Chapter 6 Preliminary Rounds Summary

The trial opened on Friday, July 10, 1925. The courtroom filled with people early and latecomers spilled over into the hallway. The trial opened with a prayer by a local fundamentalist minister. The same grand jury that had convened several months earlier was brought back as a new indictment was needed. The proceedings took the greater part of the morning and jury selection began after lunch. The prosecution readily accepted almost everyone; Darrow tried to find jurors who professed an open mind. In his questioning of potential jurors, he generally covered three topics: whether the juror knew anything about evolution, whether the juror thought the Bible was against evolution, and finally, if the juror thought he (as they were all men) could make up his own mind based on the case presented. Because of the high publicity, virtually all...