Tennessee's Anti-Evolution Law Broken By Scopes

In 1925, John T. Scopes, a teacher in Tennessee, was charged with violating the Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of human evolution in schools. The trial, known as the Scopes Trial or the Scopes Monkey Trial, was highly publicized and became known as the Trial of the Century, pitting science against religion. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but the verdict was later overturned on a technicality. The trial brought intense national publicity and sparked a debate between fundamentalists and modernists, with the former prioritizing the word of God as revealed in the Bible, and the latter arguing that evolution could be consistent with religion.

John T. Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee

The Butler Act was passed in March 1925, making it illegal to teach any theory contradicting the Biblical version of creation as presented in the Book of Genesis. Scopes was charged with violating this Act on May 5, 1925, and his trial began on July 10, 1925.

The trial, known as the Scopes Trial or the Scopes Monkey Trial, was deliberately staged to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. Local community leaders persuaded Scopes to answer the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) call for a defendant in a test case challenging the Butler Act. The ACLU had offered to defend anyone accused of teaching the theory of evolution in defiance of the Act.

Scopes was unsure whether he had actually taught evolution, but he incriminated himself deliberately so the case could have a defendant. He urged students to testify against him, and coached them in their answers. He was indicted on May 25, 1925, after three students testified against him.

The trial featured two of the best-known orators of the era, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, as opposing attorneys. Bryan, a three-time Democratic presidential candidate and devout Christian, led the prosecution. Darrow, a renowned Chicago attorney and member of the ACLU, led the defense.

The trial was not about Scopes's innocence or guilt, but rather a larger debate over the validity of Darwin's theory versus the authority of the Bible. Darrow's chief argument was that the Butler Act promoted one particular religious view and was therefore illegal. The trial also saw Darrow call Bryan to the stand as an expert witness on the Bible, cornering him into admitting that not all of the Bible's teachings should be taken literally.

After eight days of trial, Scopes was found guilty and ordered to pay a $100 fine. The case was appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which upheld the Butler Act's constitutionality but acquitted Scopes on the grounds that the judge had imposed the fine instead of the jury. The Butler Act remained in effect until it was repealed by the Tennessee legislature in 1967.

He was charged with violating Tennessee's Butler Act

John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged on May 5, 1925, with violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee schools. The Butler Act was passed on March 21, 1925, and made it illegal for teachers to teach human evolution in any state-funded school.

The trial, known as the Scopes Trial, or the Scopes Monkey Trial, was deliberately staged to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where it was held. Scopes was unsure whether he had ever actually taught evolution, but he incriminated himself deliberately so the case could have a defendant.

The trial featured two of the best-known orators of the era, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, as opposing attorneys. Bryan, a three-time Democratic presidential candidate and a devout Christian, led the prosecution team. Darrow, a renowned Chicago attorney and a member of the ACLU, led the defense. 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 began on July 10, 1925, and lasted for eight days. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (equivalent to $1,700 in 2023). The verdict was overturned on appeal, however, on a technicality—the jury should have decided the fine, not the judge.

The Butler Act prohibited teaching human evolution in Tennessee schools

The Butler Act, signed into law in Tennessee on March 21, 1925, prohibited the teaching of human evolution in state-funded schools. The Act was lobbied for by State Representative John Washington Butler, who was also the head of the World Christian Fundamentals Association. Butler was motivated by the belief that teaching evolution was poisoning young minds against religion.

The Act was passed with the support of Tennessee governor Austin Peay, who believed it would not be enforced or interfere with education in the state. However, it was enforced, and on May 5, 1925, John T. Scopes, a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was charged with violating the Butler Act. Scopes was tried in a case known as the Scopes Trial or the Scopes Monkey Trial. He was found guilty and fined $100 (equivalent to $1,737 in 2023).

The Scopes Trial was deliberately staged to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where it was held. It was also an attempt to challenge the constitutionality of the Butler Act and publicly advocate for the legitimacy of Darwin's theory of evolution. The trial was a showdown between evolution and the church, pitting science against religion, and rural fundamentalism against worldly urban sophistication.

The trial resulted in a victory for the prosecution, led by William Jennings Bryan, a three-time Democratic presidential candidate and devout Christian. However, Bryan died suddenly five days after the trial, and the conviction was later overturned on a technicality. The Butler Act remained in effect until May 18, 1967, when it was repealed by the Tennessee legislature.

Scopes was tried in a case known as the Scopes Trial

In 1925, John Thomas Scopes, a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was tried in a case known as the Scopes Trial. He was charged with violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of human evolution in state-funded schools. The trial was deliberately staged to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where it was held.

The Scopes Trial, also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was the prosecution of John Scopes, a science teacher, for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school, which a recent bill had made illegal. The trial featured two of the best-known orators of the era, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, as opposing attorneys.

The Butler Act was passed in March 1925 and made it illegal to teach any theory contradicting the Biblical version of creation, as presented in the Book of Genesis. While filling in as a substitute teacher in a biology class, Scopes used a textbook that promoted the theory of human evolution.

The trial began on July 10, 1925, and lasted for 11 days. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (equivalent to $1,737 in 2023). The case was appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which upheld the Butler Act's constitutionality but overturned Scopes's conviction because the judge had set the fine instead of the jury.

The Scopes Trial was a highly publicized event that brought national attention to the debate between fundamentalist literal belief and liberal interpretation of the Scriptures. It also raised awareness of a narrow, fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible and presented arguments on behalf of evolution to a broader audience than ever before.

He was found guilty and fined $100

John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged with violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee schools. He was tried in a case known as the Scopes Trial.

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 illegal. The trial featured two of the best-known orators of the era, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, as opposing attorneys.

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).

On the seventh day of the trial, Clarence Darrow took the unorthodox step of calling William Jennings Bryan, counsel for the prosecution, to the stand as a witness in an effort to demonstrate that belief in the historicity of the Bible and its many accounts of miracles was unreasonable. Bryan accepted, on the understanding that Darrow would in turn submit to questioning by Bryan.

After eight days of trial, it took the jury only nine minutes to deliberate. Scopes was found guilty on July 21 and ordered by Raulston to pay a $100 fine (equivalent to $1,700 in 2023). Raulston imposed the fine before Scopes was given an opportunity to say anything about why the court should not impose punishment upon him. After Neal brought the error to the judge's attention, the defendant spoke for the first and only time in court:

> Your honor, I feel that I have been convicted of violating an unjust statute. I will continue in the future, as I have in the past, to oppose this law in any way I can. Any other action would be in violation of my ideal of academic freedom—that is, to teach the truth as guaranteed in our constitution, of personal and religious freedom. I think the fine is unjust.

The Butler Act remained in effect until May 18, 1967, when it was repealed by the Tennessee legislature.

Frequently asked questions