Final answer:
William Jennings Bryan was the prosecuting attorney in the Scopes Trial, with Clarence Darrow leading the defense. The trial was a cultural clash between modern science and traditional religious views on education and played a pivotal role in the discussion on separation of church and state.
Step-by-step explanation:
The prosecuting attorney in the Scopes Trial was William Jennings Bryan. Known as a fundamentalist champion, Bryan argued the case for the prosecution, objecting to the teaching of evolution in schools which he believed threatened the values of rural America. The defense was led by Clarence Darrow, a prominent lawyer and agnostic who defended John Scopes's right to teach Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which was at the heart of the controversy. The trial highlighted a cultural conflict over the role of science and religion in public schools and American society.
The Scopes Trial, also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, became a national spectacle and symbolized the tension between modern science and traditional religious beliefs. Although Scopes was found guilty and fined, the trial was a pivotal moment in the discussion on the separation of church and state in education and the wider cultural debate of the era.