Introduction to the Scopes Monkey Trial

The Scopes monkey trial took place 100 years ago, but the fight over evolution and creationism in classrooms isn’t over. In March 1925, Tennessee became the first state in the country to ban the teaching of evolution in public school classrooms, sparking strong reactions across the United States. The eventual outcome was a legal battle that became one of the most renowned in the nation’s history.

Background of the Trial

Historians say the trial started as a tourism gambit on behalf of the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where the landmark case unfolded. The town’s leaders were eager for an economic boost and encouraged a local teacher to challenge the law. They wanted the debate over the controversial anti-evolution mandate to take place in their own backyard while the rest of the country eagerly followed along.

The Trial and Its Aftermath

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. Darwin’s theory was seen as a direct challenge to the biblical story of creation by many fundamentalist Christians at the time. That contention came to a head in the 1920s when state lawmakers began considering outlawing the teaching of evolution in public schools. Tennessee lawmakers were the first to take the step, passing the Butler Act on March 13, 1925, banning the teaching of any theory saying humanity descended from a "lower order of animal" in contradiction to the biblical teaching of divine creation.

The Trial’s Key Players

The Scopes trial became sensational largely because it brought together two long-time adversaries and powerful speakers: William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. Bryan, a former secretary of state who ran for president three times and served in Congress, lent star power to the prosecution. Meanwhile, Darrow, one of the foremost defense attorneys of his time, agreed to represent Scopes after concluding a separate high-profile case where he saved child-killers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb from the death penalty.

The Legacy of the Scopes Trial

The trial itself only lasted eight days, and the jury returned a guilty verdict after deliberating for less than 10 minutes. Scopes was fined $100 for violating the Butler Act, a punishment that was eventually overturned on a technicality by the Tennessee Supreme Court. While the jury sided with the prosecution, the case generated more attention and interest in the theory of evolution. More than 20 anti-evolution theory bills were defeated in statehouses across the U.S. shortly after the Scopes trial. However, the debate didn’t end there.

Current Debates and Controversies

It would take another four decades before Tennessee lawmakers agreed to repeal the Butler Act, nearly around the same time the ACLU found another case to challenge anti-evolution laws. In the 1960s, the ACLU filed an amicus brief on behalf of a zoology teacher in Arkansas, challenging a state law that banned teaching "that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animals." Unlike the Tennessee case, the Arkansas legal battle went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices declared the anti-evolution law a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. A federal judge ruled in 2005 that a Pennsylvania public school district could not teach "intelligent design" because it is "a religious view, a mere re-labeling of creationism, and not a scientific theory."

Ongoing Challenges

Today, the central themes surrounding the trial continue to pop up. Currently, conservative lawmakers across the country are pushing to introduce more Christianity in public school classrooms. Last year, West Virginia enacted a law permitting public school teachers to answer student questions "about scientific theories of how the universe and/or life came to exist" that supporters said was needed to foster discussions beyond evolution. And in Texas, new state curriculum has sparked criticism due to its inclusion of biblical references, a lesson that asks students to repeat the phrase that starts the creation story in the Book of Genesis, and an activity requesting that children remember the order in which the Bible says God created the universe.

Conclusion

The Scopes monkey trial may have taken place 100 years ago, but its impact and the debates it sparked continue to be felt today. The trial marked a significant moment in the ongoing discussion about the role of religion and science in public education, a discussion that remains contentious and complex. As the country continues to grapple with these issues, it is essential to remember the lessons of the Scopes trial and the importance of protecting academic freedom and promoting critical thinking.

FAQs

• Q: What was the Scopes monkey trial?
  A: The Scopes monkey trial was a legal case in 1925 where a high school teacher, John T. Scopes, was prosecuted for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school, which was against the state’s Butler Act.
• Q: What was the Butler Act?
  A: The Butler Act was a law passed in Tennessee in 1925 that prohibited the teaching of any theory that denied the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and that taught instead that man had evolved from a lower order of animals.
• Q: Who were the key players in the Scopes trial?
  A: The key players included John T. Scopes, the defendant; William Jennings Bryan, the prosecutor; and Clarence Darrow, the defense attorney.
• Q: What was the outcome of the trial?
  A: Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but the verdict was later overturned on a technicality.
• Q: What is the current state of the debate over evolution and creationism in schools?
  A: The debate continues, with some states and school districts pushing to include more religious content in science education, while others argue for the teaching of evolution as the scientifically supported theory of the origins of life.