| Tennessee v. Scopes | |
|---|---|
| Subsequent action(s) | Scopes v. State (1926) |
| Court membership | |
| Judge(s) sitting | John Tate Raulston |
The Scopes “monkey trial” was the moniker journalist H. L. Mencken applied to the 1925 prosecution of a criminal action brought by the state of Tennessee against high school teacher John T. Scopes for violating the state’s Butler Act, which prohibited the …
Nov 16, 2017 · The Scopes Trial, also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was the 1925 prosecution of science teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school, which a recent bill had made...
Nov 08, 2021 · Clarence Darrow - Defense Attorney. Clarence Seward Darrow defended Tennessee teacher John Scopes who was charged for teaching the theory of evolution in 1925. "Scopes broke the Butler Act, a Tennessee law that forbade the teaching of evolution because it contradicted Biblical creation theory. The trial got worldwide publicity and was known as the …
Bryan had earlier given his support to the Tennessee law that was now being challenged. According to the word-ing given to the Tennessee Anti-Evolution Law by Repre-sentative J.W. Butler, it was “. . unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universi-ties, Normals, and all other public schools of the State
The prosecution was led by William Jennings Bryan, a former Secretary of State, presidential candidate, and the most famous fundamentalist Christian spokesperson in the country. His strategy was quite simple: to prove John Scopes guilty of violating Tennessee law.
The plaintiff in error was a teacher in the public schools of Rhea county. He was an employee of the State of Tennessee or of a municipal agency of the State.
The Scopes Monkey Trial started as an effort by the ACLU to challenge the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that forbade teaching the theory of evolution in public schools. The Tennessee Supreme Court found the law forbidding the teaching of evolution to be constitutional. In 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court found a similar law in Arkansas to be a violation of the First Amendment. In this photo, evangelist T.T. Martin's books against the theory of evolution are sold in Dayton, Tennessee, at the Scopes trial. (AP Photo, used with permission from the Associated Press)
In this photo, evangelist T.T. Martin's books against the theory of evolution are sold in Dayton, Tennessee, at the Scopes trial. (AP Photo, used with permission from the Associated Press)
High school biology teacher John T. Scopes, shown here in 1925, was recruited to teach the theory of evolution as a way to challenge a Tennessee law that forbade it in public schools. (AP Photo, file, used with permission from the Associated Press)
The case arose when, seeking to test the constitutional validity of the Butler Act, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) placed advertisements in Tennessee newspapers offering to pay the expenses of any teacher willing to challenge the law.
The trial was viewed as an opportunity to challenge the constitutionality of the bill, to publicly advocate for the legitimacy of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and to enhance the profile of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The trial day started with crowds pouring into the courthouse two hours before it was scheduled to begin , filling up the room and causing onlookers to spill into the hallways. There was applause when Bryan entered the court and further when he and Darrow shook hands.
The grand jury met on May 9, 1925. In preparation, Scopes recruited and coached students to testify against him. Three of the seven students attending were called to testify, each showing a sketchy understanding of evolution. The case was pushed forward and a trial set for July 10.
The theory of evolution, as presented by Charles Darwin and others, was a controversial concept in many quarters, even into the 20th century. Concerted anti-evolutionist efforts in Tennessee succeeded when in 1925, the Tennessee House of Representatives was offered a bill by John W. Butler making teaching evolution a misdemeanor.
John Scopes. What became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial began as a publicity stunt for the town of Dayton, Tennessee. A local businessman met with the school superintendent and a lawyer to discuss using the ACLU offer to get newspapers to write about the town.
Clarence Darrow – a famous attorney who had recently acted for the defense in the notorious Leopold and Loeb murder trial – found out about the Scopes trial through journalist H.L. Mencken, who suggested Darrow should defend Scopes.
It was to a packed courthouse on Monday that arguments began by the defense working to establish the scientific validity of evolution, while the prosecution focused on the Butler Act as an education standard for Tennessee citizens, citing precedents.
Clarence Seward Darrow defended Tennessee teacher John Scopes who was charged for teaching the theory of evolution in 1925. "Scopes broke the Butler Act, a Tennessee law that forbade the teaching of evolution because it contradicted Biblical creation theory. The trial got worldwide publicity and was known as the "Monkey Trial." Darrow argued that evolution was scientifically valid and claimed that the Butler Act was unlawful, but did not deny that Scopes had broken the law. Scopes was fined $100, but the verdict was later reversed on technical grounds by the state supreme court. The Butler Act remained in force until 1967." US Library of Congress (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
John T. Scopes (right) photographed with his attorney, John R. Neal, at the time of his trial for violating a Tennessee state law prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools, 1925.