In the movie "Inherit the Wind," the character Henry Drummond (played by Spencer Tracy) is based on what real-life person?

Inherit the Wind, is a fictionalized account of the 1925, Scopes "Monkey" Trial in which John Thomas Scopes, a substitute high school teacher, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which had made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school. Scopes was unsure whether he had ever actually taught evolution, but he purposely incriminated himself so that the case could have a defendant.

The trial publicized Modernists, who said evolution was not inconsistent with religion, against Fundamentalists, who said the word of God as revealed in the Bible took priority over all human knowledge. The case was thus seen as both a theological contest and a trial on whether modern science should be taught in schools. William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate, argued for the prosecution while famed defense attorney and leading member of The American Civil Liberties Union, Clarence Darrow, spoke for Scopes.

Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but the verdict was overturned on a technicality and ultimately the charges were dismissed.

Clarence Seward Darrow (1857– 1938), an agnostic himself, is remembered for his reputation as a fierce litigator who championed the cause of the underdog. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest criminal defense lawyers and civil libertarians in American history. Quote: "You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free."