US EditionWe Haven’t Evolved Much 100 Years After the Scopes Monkey Trial
DAYTON, TENNESSEE, JUL 08 – The 1925 trial highlighted conflicts between science and religion and shaped education debates; today, 80% of Americans accept human evolution, according to Pew Research Center.
- In July 1925, John T. Scopes, a 24-year-old teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, stood trial for teaching evolution, violating the Butler Act.
- The Butler Act banned public school teaching of any theory denying Divine Creation, passed amid growing debate over Darwin's 1859 theory.
- The trial, which attracted widespread media attention and was broadcast on radio, featured Clarence Darrow defending the accused, while the prosecution was led by the prominent religious figure and former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.
- The jury quickly returned a guilty verdict against Scopes and imposed a $100 fine; Darrow intentionally sought this outcome to facilitate an appeal despite the predictable result.
- The trial highlighted deep, lasting divisions over science and religion that remain today, with evolving state standards and ongoing debates over evolution education.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Bangor Daily News
World NewsWe haven’t evolved much 100 years after the Scopes Monkey Trial
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com Robert Klose is an emeritus professor of biological sciences at the University of Maine at Augusta. His latest book is “Trigger Warning.” One hundred years ago, in July of 1925, the so-called ” Monkey Trial” took place in Dayton, Tennessee. It was, I think, supposed to h…
Berkeley, a Look Back: 1925 ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ news had town abuzz
“Jury selection marks first day of evolution case trial” was the three-column headline a century ago in the July 10, 1925, Berkeley Daily Gazette. This was what would become known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial” in Dayton, Tennessee, where a teacher, John Scopes, was being prosecuted for violating a state law against teaching evolution. The United Press described the trial as “an atmosphere which combined the elements of a religious revival and cou…
'Inherit the Wind' screening marks 100 years since Scopes trial
The Paducah Film Society will host a screening of "Inherit the Wind" Thursday at Maiden Alley Cinema to mark the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial. The event will include remarks from retired Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Bill Cunningham regarding…
100 years after evolution went on trial, the Scopes case still reverberates
One hundred years ago, the small town of Dayton, Tenn., became the unlikely stage for one of the most sensational trials in American history, over the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution.
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