In 1925, a high school teacher in Dayton, Tennessee became the center of America's most famous trial—not for a crime of violence, but for teaching evolution. John Scopes was prosecuted under the Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach anything contradicting the Biblical creation story. What began as a publicity stunt to revive a struggling town's economy exploded into a national showdown between fundamentalism and modernism.
The trial pitted legendary attorneys against each other: Clarence Darrow for the defense and William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution. For eight days, the nation watched as two visions of America clashed in a small-town courthouse—one rooted in Biblical literalism, the other in scientific progress. The courtroom drama was electric, with Darrow famously putting Bryan himself on the stand to defend his literal interpretation of scripture.
Scopes was convicted and fined $100, but the conviction was later overturned on a technicality. Yet the larger question remained unresolved: Should schools teach Darwin's theory of evolution or the Genesis creation account? The debate sparked by this trial continues nearly a century later, with 34% of Americans still rejecting evolution in 2015. Discover the trial that divided America—and why we're still arguing about it today.
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Episode Summary
The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 wasn't just about one teacher—it was about America's soul. When John Scopes, a high school biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was prosecuted for teaching evolution, the case became a lightning rod for the conflict between religious tradition and scientific progress. The trial drew national media attention, legendary attorneys, and exposed deep fractures in American society that persist to this day.
What makes this story particularly fascinating: the entire trial was orchestrated as a publicity stunt. Town leaders deliberately sought to challenge the Butler Act (Tennessee's anti-evolution law) to bring attention and economic revival to Dayton. They found their willing defendant in John Scopes, who encouraged his own students to testify against him. The strategy worked beyond their wildest dreams—but the consequences reached far beyond Dayton's economy.
Key Location
Primary Setting: Dayton, Tennessee (Rhea County)
Courthouse: Rhea County Courthouse, Market Street, Dayton, TN
Modern Status: The courthouse still stands and houses a museum dedicated to the trial
Population (1925): Approximately 1,800 residents
Economic Context: Small coal and iron mining town in Eastern Tennessee experiencing economic decline
Timeline of Key Events
March 21, 1925: Tennessee Governor Austin Peay signs the Butler Act into law, making it illegal to teach human evolution in state-funded schools
May 1925: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) offers to defend anyone accused of violating the Butler Act
Early May 1925: George Rappleye, local manager for Cumberland Coal and Iron Company, convinces school superintendent Walter White that a trial would bring publicity to Dayton
May 5, 1925: Rappleye, White, and lawyer Sue Hicks recruit John Scopes to be the test case. Scopes, a substitute biology teacher and football coach, agrees after being called away from a tennis game
May 25, 1925: John Scopes officially indicted for violating the Butler Act
May 1925: William Jennings Bryan (three-time presidential candidate and fundamentalist leader) joins prosecution team
May 1925: Clarence Darrow (America's most famous defense attorney) joins the defense team upon learning Bryan is prosecuting
July 10-21, 1925: The trial takes place in Dayton, drawing massive crowds and national media coverage. H.L. Mencken covers the trial for the Baltimore Sun
July 20, 1925: In the trial's dramatic climax, Darrow calls Bryan to the stand as an expert on the Bible. The two-hour confrontation exposes Bryan's gaps in scientific knowledge and leads to Bryan admitting the Bible shouldn't be interpreted entirely literally
July 21, 1925: After eight days of proceedings, the jury deliberates for nine minutes and finds Scopes guilty. Judge Ralston fines him $100
July 26, 1925: William Jennings Bryan dies in his sleep in Dayton, five days after the trial concludes
January 1927: Tennessee Supreme Court upholds the Butler Act's constitutionality but overturns Scopes' conviction on a technicality—Tennessee law didn't allow judges to impose fines over $50; only juries could set fines exceeding that amount
1967: Tennessee repeals the Butler Act after 42 years
1968: U.S. Supreme Court rules in Epperson v. Arkansas that bans on teaching evolution violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause
Key Figures
John Thomas Scopes (1900-1970):
- 24-year-old biology teacher and football coach at Rhea County High School
- Recruited specifically to be test case defendant
- Never taught evolution in a regular class (only filled in as substitute using state-approved textbook)
- Spoke only once during trial, giving brief statement after conviction
- Later earned master's degree in geology
- Downplayed his role in later years, calling himself just "a ringmaster in a circus"
Clarence Darrow (1857-1938):
- America's most famous defense attorney
- Religious skeptic and staunch defender of academic freedom
- Known for defending unpopular causes and underdogs
- Joined case specifically because Bryan was prosecuting
- Famous confrontation with Bryan on witness stand became trial's defining moment
William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925):
- Three-time Democratic presidential candidate (1896, 1900, 1908)
- Prominent fundamentalist Christian and opponent of evolution
- Former U.S. Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson
- Volunteered to assist prosecution without fee
- Died five days after trial concluded (July 26, 1925)
John T. Ralston (1888-1956):
- Circuit court judge presiding over trial
- Known fundamentalist who opened court sessions with prayer
- Made controversial rulings excluding most defense expert witnesses
- Clashed repeatedly with Clarence Darrow over courtroom procedures
George Rappleye (1894-1966):
- Mining engineer and local manager for Cumberland Coal and Iron Company
- Masterminded the plan to challenge the Butler Act as publicity for Dayton
- Convinced school officials to participate in test case
- Achieved his goal: trial brought massive attention and economic boost to town
John Washington Butler (1875-1952):
- Tennessee state representative who introduced the Butler Act
- Farmer and head of World's Christian Fundamentals Association
- Claimed he knew little about evolution but opposed it after hearing students dismiss Bible as "nonsense"
- Wanted to protect children from ideas contradicting Biblical creation
The Butler Act: Legal Background
Official Name: House Bill 185
Signed: March 21, 1925 by Governor Austin Peay
Text: Made it unlawful for public school teachers "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"
Penalty: Misdemeanor punishable by $100-$500 fine for each offense
Enforcement: Rarely enforced until Scopes case; some schools continued teaching evolution
Repeal: May 18, 1967 (42 years after passage)
Cultural Impact and Legacy
Immediate Effects:
- Trial drew over 100 reporters from around the world
- First trial in American history to be broadcast on national radio
- Sparked anti-evolution movements in 13 states by 1927
- Mississippi and Arkansas passed similar laws that outlasted Tennessee's
Long-term Educational Impact:
- Many textbook publishers removed or minimized evolution content for decades
- Biology textbook adoption in many states avoided evolution until 1960s
- National Defense Education Act (1958) began reversing trend by funding science education emphasizing evolution
Legal Precedents:
- Epperson v. Arkansas (1968): U.S. Supreme Court struck down state ban on teaching evolution, ruling it violated Establishment Clause
- Edwards v. Aguillard (1987): Supreme Court ruled Louisiana's "Balanced Treatment Act" (requiring equal time for creation science) unconstitutional
- Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005): Federal court ruled teaching "intelligent design" in public schools unconstitutional
Cultural Representations:
- "Inherit the Wind" (1955 play, 1960 film): Fictionalized version starring Spencer Tracy; later TV adaptations in 1965, 1988, 1999
- "The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial" (1993 play): More historically accurate version broadcast on BBC Radio 2009
- "Alleged" (2010 film): Claims historical accuracy using trial transcripts
- Recent TV shows like "Young Sheldon" continue referencing evolution vs. creationism debate
Modern Relevance (2024 Statistics):
- 34% of Americans don't accept evolution (Pew Research, 2015)
- Some conservative states continue proposing "academic freedom" laws allowing teachers to teach creationism alongside evolution
- Debate over teaching evolution in public schools remains politically divisive nearly 100 years later
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