The Scopes Trial, often referred to as the "Monkey Trial", took place in the year
1925. It was a case where the state of Tennessee charged John Thomas Scopes with
teaching his high school students the theory of evolution instead of the theory of Genesis.
This was after Tennessee passed a law that stated, "Be it enacted by the General
Assembly of the state of Tennessee, That it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any
Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the state which are supported
in whole or in part by public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that
denies the story of the Great Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach
instead that man descended from a lower order of animals". Which in other words is
saying that it is unlawful to teach about Darwinism and not according to the Bible.
John Scopes was defended by Clarence Darrow, and was prosecuted by William
Jennings Bryan. Darrow argued that academic freedom was being violated and claimed
that the legislature had indicated a religious preference, violating the separation of church
and state. He also stated that the theory of evolution consisted of several interpretations
of the Bible. When John Scopes was taken to court for this case, he was only 24 years of
age. During the trial, Scopes was never actually tried, but as if the law was being tried
instead him. Although, John Scopes' did have an excuse for his rule-breaking. Scopes
taught both general science, and biology. According to his biology book, from which he
taught, the theory of evolution is correct. Even though he knew he would be breaking the
law, he thought that he could not teach his class without teaching the theory.
The trial took place in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. To some critics, the
Scopes Trial was the "Trial of the Century". But to all at that particular time, it was the
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