famed civil libertarian who served as the principal defense attorney during john scopes 1925 trial.

by Mr. Jabari Miller 8 min read

William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate and former Secretary of State, argued for the prosecution, while Clarence Darrow served as the defense attorney for Scopes.

Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow was born in the small town of Farmdale, Ohio, on April 18, 1857, the fifth son of Amirus and Emily Darrow (née Eddy), but grew up in nearby Kinsman, Ohio. Both the Darrow and Eddy families had deep roots in colonial New England, and several of Darrow's ancestors served in the American Revolution.
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(1857–1938) was one of America's most famous and controversial defense attorneys, known for his role in the Scopes monkey trial of 1925 and other major cases of his day.

Full Answer

What was the Scopes Trial?

Into the tempest that was soon to become a cause célèbre stepped famed attorneys William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan speak with each other at the "monkey trial" in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1925. Darrow was one of three lawyers sent to Dayton by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Who was involved in the Scopes Trial in Tennessee?

Nov 16, 2017 · Sources. 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 ...

Who was John Scopes?

John Scopes The defense found the ideal defendant in the person of twenty-four-year-old John Thomas Scopes. Defense lawyer Arthur Garfield Hays said of Dayton’s popular new general science teacher and football coach, “Had we sought to find a defendant to present the issue, we could not improved upon the individual.”

Was John Scopes guilty or innocent?

George Rappalyea, a 31-year-old transplanted New Yorker and local coal company manager, arrived at the drugstore with a copy of a paper containing an American Civil Liberties Union announcement that it was willing to offer its services to anyone challenging the new Tennessee anti-evolution statute. Rappalyea, a modernist Methodist with contempt for the new law, …

What was the fine for Scopes?

Scopes was found guilty and ordered to pay the minimum fine of $100. A year later, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Dayton court on a procedural technicality—not on constitutional grounds, as Darrow had hoped. According to the court, the fine should have been set by the jury, not Raulston.

How long did John Caverly sentence Leopold and Loeb?

Darrow succeeded. Caverly sentenced Leopold and Loeb to life in prison plus 99 years.

How much was Darrow worth in 2016?

After lengthy negotiations with the defendants' families, he ended up getting some $70,000 in gross fees, which, after expenses and taxes, netted Darrow $30,000, worth over $375,000 in 2016.

What was the Darrow family?

Both the Darrow and Eddy families had deep roots in colonial New England , and several of Darrow's ancestors served in the American Revolution. Darrow's father was an ardent abolitionist and a proud iconoclast and religious freethinker. He was known throughout the town as the "village infidel".

Why did Darrow leave the labor union?

He took the latter because he had become convinced that the criminal justice system could ruin people's lives if they were not adequately represented.

What happened in Detroit in 1925?

On September 9, 1925, a white mob in Detroit attempted to drive a black family out of the home they had purchased in a white neighborhood. During the struggle, a white man was killed, and the eleven black men in the house were later arrested and charged with murder. Ossian Sweet, a doctor, and three members of his family were brought to trial, and after an initial deadlock, Darrow argued to the all-white jury: "I insist that there is nothing but prejudice in this case; that if it was reversed and eleven white men had shot and killed a black man while protecting their home and their lives against a mob of blacks, nobody would have dreamed of having them indicted. They would have been given medals instead...."

Where is the Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge?

The Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge is located in Chicago, just south of the Museum of Science & Industry. The Clarence Darrow Commemorative Committee holds an annual event to honor Darrow's life and work. The complete collection of Clarence Darrow's personal papers is housed at the University of Minnesota Libraries.

What was the Scopes trial?

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.

What was the purpose of the Scopes trial?

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).

What was Bryan Darrow's goal?

Darrow’s goal in getting involved was to debunk fundamentalist Christianity and raise awareness of a narrow, fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible. It was the only time in his career he offered to give free legal aid. Bryan and Darrow set the tone by immediately attacking each other in the press.

What did Bryan do before the trial?

Bryan arrived in Dayton three days before the trial, stepping off a train to the spectacle of half the town greeting him. He posed for photo opportunities and gave two public speeches, stating his intention to not only defend the anti-evolution law but to use the trial to debunk evolution entirely. Recommended for you.

How did the trial day start?

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.

Why was the Darwin trial important?

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).

What was the Butler Act?

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.

Who was John Scopes?

John Scopes, a young popular high school science teacher, agreed to stand as defendant in a test case to challenge the law. He was arrested on May 7, 1925, and charged with teaching the theory of evolution. Clarence Darrow, an exceptionally competent, experienced, and nationally renowned criminal defense attorney led the defense along ...

What was John Scopes' strategy?

His strategy was quite simple: to prove John Scopes guilty of violating Tennessee law. The Scopes trial turned out to be one of the most sensational cases in 20th century America; it riveted public attention and made millions of Americans aware of the ACLU for the first time.

What was the purpose of the monkey trial?

ACLU History: The Scopes 'Monkey Trial'. In March 1925, the Tennessee state legislature passed a bill that banned the teaching of evolution in all educational institutions throughout the state. The Butler Act set off alarm bells around the country. The ACLU responded immediately with an offer to defend any teacher prosecuted under the law.

How much was John Scopes fined?

John Scopes was fined $100. The ACLU hoped to use the opportunity as a chance to take the issue all the way to the Supreme Court, but the verdict was reversed by state supreme court on a technicality.

How many states did the Butler Act fail?

Nonetheless, the ultimate result of the trial was pronounced and far-reaching: the Butler Act was never again enforced and over the next two years, laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution were defeated in 22 states.

Who was Susan Epperson?

An opportunity finally arose, more than four decades later, when the ACLU filed an amicus brief on behalf of Susan Epperson, a Zoology teacher in Arkansas, who challenged a state ban on teaching 'that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animals.'. In 1968, the Supreme Court, in Epperson v.

Who represented Scopes in the trial?

On July 10, 1925, Scopes appeared in a Dayton courtroom to stand trial. He was represented by one of the most famous lawyers of the time, Clarence Darrow. On the opposing side, former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan had come to town to help the prosecution.

Who was involved in the Scopes trial?

Scopes's trial became a national sensation, with celebrity lawyers like Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan involved in the case. Scopes was found guilty, but his story remains famous as the Scopes "Monkey Trial," dramatized in the 1960 film Inherit the Wind starring Spencer Tracy.

What did Scopes teach?

In the fall of 1924, Scopes joined the faculty of Rhea County Central High School in Dayton, Tennessee, where he taught algebra, chemistry and physics. At the time, there was a national debate about whether evolution should be taught in schools. British naturalist Charles Darwin championed the theories of evolution, espousing that all modern animal and plant life had descended from a common ancestor. Darwin's theories, however, directly contradicted the Bible's teachings on the beginning of life. Across the United States, Christian fundamentalists moved to bar any discussion of evolution from the nation's classrooms.

How old was Scopes when he was charged?

That was enough to get him charged under the new law. Only 24 years old, Scopes saw the case as a chance to stand up for academic freedom.

How did Scopes die?

In 1967, Scopes published Center of the Storm, a book about his life and experiences as part of the famed Scopes "Monkey Trial.". He died of cancer on October 21, 1970, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

What did the Butler Act make it illegal for a teacher to teach?

The Butler Act made it illegal for any teacher in a publicly funded school "to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.".

Where did Scopes go to college?

There, he graduated from high school in 1919. After one year at the University of Illinois, Scopes transferred to the University of Kentucky. He had to drop out for a time for medical reasons, but he eventually earned a degree in law.

Who was John Scopes?

In 1925, John Scopes, a biology teacher in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, disobeyed the law. He taught the theory of evolution, which states that human beings evolved from lesser life forms. To defend Scopes, the American Civil Liberties Union hired Clarence Darrow, one of the nation's most famous defense attorneys during this period.

How long after the Scopes trial did Bryan die?

Adding further to this belief was Bryan's death just five days after the trial. Not only was religious fundamentalism dead; so, too, was its greatest defender. While the Scopes Trial (also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial) occurred in Tennessee, it had an impact on life in Ohio.

What was the scopes monkey trial?

The Scopes Monkey Trial was a nationally-famous Tennessee court case that upheld a state law banning the teaching of evolution in public schools in that state in 1925. During the Roaring Twenties, some in the United States were concerned about the supposedly immoral lifestyle that their neighbors were pursuing.

Why were Ohioans interested in the Clarence Darrow case?

Ohioans were also very interested in the case because Clarence Darrow was originally from Ohio. Like some people in Tennessee, some Ohioans were concerned about the supposedly declining morality of some of their neighbors.

Who was the expert on the Bible?

Many people acknowledged Bryan to be one of the foremost experts on the Bible in the United States. During the trial, Darrow, in a surprise move, called Bryan to testify. Darrow hoped to disprove the Bible and used Bryan , a supposed expert on the religious text, to do so.

Did Scopes lose his job?

Scopes lost his job and was forced to pay a one hundred dollar fine. The Tennessee Supreme Court eventually overturned the verdict on a technicality. Darrow, however, appeared to have won the larger battle, that people could not take the Bible literally.

Overview

Courthouse

In a $1 million restoration of the Rhea County Courthousein Dayton, completed in 1979, the second-floor courtroom was restored to its appearance during the Scopes trial. A museum of trial events in its basement contains such memorabilia as the microphone used to broadcast the trial, trial records, photographs, and an audiovisual history. Every July, local people re-enact key …

Origins

State Representative John Washington Butler, a Tennessee farmer and head of the World Christian Fundamentals Association, lobbied state legislatures to pass anti-evolution laws. He succeeded when the Butler Act was passed in Tennessee, on March 25, 1925. Butler later stated, "I didn't know anything about evolution ... I'd read in the papers that boys and girls were coming home from school and telling their fathers and mothers that the Bible was all nonsense." Tennessee governor Austin …

Dayton, Tennessee

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) offered to defend anyone accused of teaching the theory of evolution in defiance of the Butler Act. On April 5, 1925, George Rappleyea, local manager for the Cumberland Coal and Iron Company, arranged a meeting with county superintendent of schools Walter White and local attorney Sue K. Hicksat Robinson's Drug Store, convincing them that the c…

Proceedings

The ACLU had originally intended to oppose the Butler Act on the grounds that it violated the teacher's individual rights and academic freedom, and was therefore unconstitutional. Principally because of Clarence Darrow, this strategy changed as the trial progressed. The earliest argument proposed by the defense once the trial had begun was that there was actually no conflict between evolution and t…

Appeal to the Supreme Court of Tennessee

Scopes' lawyers appealed, challenging the conviction on several grounds. First, they argued that the statute was overly vague because it prohibited the teaching of "evolution", a very broad term. The court rejected that argument, holding:
Evolution, like prohibition, is a broad term. In recent bickering, however, evolution has been understood to mean the theory which holds that man has developed from some pre-existing low…

Aftermath

The trial revealed a growing chasm in American Christianity and two ways of finding truth, one "biblical" and one "evolutionist". Author David Goetz writes that the majority of Christians denounced evolution at the time.
Author Mark Edwards contests the conventional view that in the wake of the Scopes trial, a humiliated fundamentalism retreated into the political and cultural background, a viewpoint whic…

Publicity

Edward J. Larson, a historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion (2004), notes: "Like so many archetypal American events, the trial itself began as a publicity stunt." The press coverage of the "Monkey Trial" was overwhelming. The front pages of newspapers like The New York Timeswere dominated by the case for days. More than 200 newspaper reporters from all p…