Scopes+Trial+(2)

The Scopes Trial (also known as Tennessee v. John T. Scopes or Scopes Monkey Trial) was a court dispute between the State of Tennessee and John T. Scopes. Scopes, a 24-year-old Dayton high school science and math teacher, was tried in court for violating the newly enacted "Butler Act". The Butler Act states, "That it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, normals and all other public schools of the state which are supported in whole or in part by the public school fund of the state, to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of men as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that men has descended from a lower order of animals." This court trial was conducted and decided in 1925. Scopes was found guilty and charged with a fine of 100.00.

Background: This trial was staged and financed by the American Civil Liberties Union after the state legislator (who was being urged by World's Christian Fundamentals Association lobbyist) passed the anti-evolution "Butler Act". The test trial was used to challenge and draw attention to the newly passed Act. John T. Scopes volunteered to be the defendant and to also plead guilty.

The trial drew much needed attention to the controversy of the teaching of evolution in schools, as well as the controversy between The Divine Creation v. Evolution and Religion v. Science. Although Scopes lost the case, he did not lose the argument. Evolution did not reappear in textbooks until the 1960's.**​**


 * Work Cited:**
 * "Scopes Trial." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2013
 * www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/2/l_082
 * www.tennessee.gov/tsla/exhibits/scopes/images/ButlerAct.pdf.
 * http://www.botany.org/plantsciencebulletin/psb-2000-46-4.php
 * http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/thumb/e/e3/Nov29Scopes.jpg/180px-Nov29Scopes.jpg