July 10, 1925: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called Scopes
Monkey Trial began with John Thomas Scopes, a young
high school science teacher, accused of teaching evolution
in violation of the Butler Act, a Tennessee state law.

The law, passed in March, made it a misdemeanor punishable
by fine 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.”

The trial became a national spectacle, with prominent figures
like Clarence Darrow defending Scopes and William Jennings
Bryan assisting the prosecution.

John Thomas Scopes(1900 – 1970) the teacher
on trial for teaching evolution.

Defense attorney Clarence Darrow, left, and
prosecutor William Jennings Bryan speak
with each other during the trial.  

Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan at the
Scopes trial in 1925. (AP)

July 10, 1925: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called Scopes
Monkey Trial began with John Thomas Scopes, a young
high school science teacher, accused of teaching evolution
in violation of a Tennessee state law.
 

 
William Jennings Bryan, left, and Judge John Raulston.

Schoolteacher John Thomas Scopes, 24, of Dayton,
Tenn., stands before Judge Raulston just before he
was found guilty of teaching evolution and fined
$100 on July 21, 1925, at the end of the Scopes
Monkey Trial held at the Rhea County Courthouse
in Dayton.

The jury reads a guilty verdict against John Scopes.

Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan at the
Scopes trial in 1925 (AP) 

July 10, 1925: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called Scopes Monkey
Trial began with John Thomas Scopes, a young high school
science teacher, accused of teaching evolution in violation of
a Tennessee state law.

The law, which had been passed in March, made it a misdemeanor punishable by fine 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.”

Schoolteacher John Thomas Scopes (center), 24, of Dayton, Tenn., stands before Judge Raulston just before he was
found guilty of teaching evolution and fined $100 on July 21, 
1925, at the end of the Scopes Monkey Trial held at the
Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton. (Chicago Tribune) 

TIM MAGUIRE

In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial began
with John Thomas Scopes, a young high school science teacher,
accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state
law.

The law, which had been passed in March, made it a misdemeanor
punishable by fine 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.” With local
businessman George Rappleyea, Scopes had conspired to get
charged with this violation, and after his arrest the pair enlisted
the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to organized
a defense.

Hearing of this coordinated attack on Christian fundamentalism,
William Jennings Bryan, the three-time Democratic presidential
candidate and a fundamentalist hero, volunteered to assist the
prosecution. Soon after, the great attorney Clarence Darrow
agreed to join the ACLU in the defense, and the stage was set
for one of the most famous trials in U.S. history

.