Sccopess “Mmonkey Ttrial” of 1925

The epic “Monkey Trial” (Scopes v. State, 152 Tenn. 424, 278 S.W. 57 [Tenn. 1925]) pitted high school science teacher John Scopes and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the Butler Act, a 1925 ruling that made it illegal to teach evolution in Tennessee schools. The resultant court battle received widespread public attention, in part, for the theatrical grandstanding of its participants, though today the trial is remembered for its impact on our understanding of human rights and development.

John Scopes's actual role in the “Monkey Trial” seems one of test subject more than actual defendant. The ACLU had sought out an educator to front its contesting of the Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching in Tennessee's public schools of ideas (including evolution) that disputed the Bible; Scopes answered the call. In actuality, there are questions as to whether or not Scopes truly taught evolutionary theory at the time. This aside, Scopes, defended by the ACLU, was charged with violating the Butler Act and quickly thrown into the circus of accusations and grandstanding worthy of reen-actment in films such as Inherit the Wind (1960). The trial became a forum for a variety of concerns regarding civil rights of the few and religious beliefs in public education, as debated hotly by one of the prosecuting attorneys, William Jennings Bryan, former U.S. Secretary of State and three-time candidate for president, and prominent defense attorney Clarence Darrow. Ultimately, although Scopes was found guilty of violating the Butler Act, his conviction was overturned due to procedural errors tied to the establishing of Scopes's fine.

Sensational as the trial itself was, little was settled by the verdict although, arguably, its effects continue to reverberate in American culture. The ACLU failed in its effort to have the verdict overturned by the Supreme Court of Tennessee in the hope of refuting the Butler Act and similar pieces of legislation. Other states, Arkansas and Mississippi, subsequently passed laws forbidding the teaching of evolution, though similar bills were rejected by a number of other states. The trial also frightened some educators into avoiding further discussion of evolutionary theory within their classrooms for fear of losing their jobs or worse. Additionally, Scopes's trial stirred up national emotions regarding evolution versus creationism, two viewpoints exacerbated further by divisions within each respective camp and its place in time. The trial brought to light the right of individuals outside the majority to hold to their values and perspectives, scientific or otherwise. It has also been observed that the trial ultimately helped speed public awareness of evolutionary theory and its impact on our understanding of the progression of life on Earth.