Most people think the Scopes Trial was about a brave teacher and a backward law. But behind the headlines was a carefully staged event, designed not to win—but to lose. John Scopes agreed to be convicted. The ACLU planned the appeal. And William Jennings Bryan? He may have been the only one who didn’t know he was walking into a trap. This wasn’t just about evolution. It was about who gets to shape the future—and what happens when media, law, and ideology collide.