The Scopes Trial.
In March of 1925, Tennessee passed the nation's first law that made it a crime to teach evolution. The ACLU promised to defend any teacher who challenged the law, and this is how the Scopes trial came about. The Scopes trial was known as one of the greatest trials of all time. The Scopes trial was known as the monkey trial. The Scopes trial was held July 10 to July 21 of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. The Scopes trial involved a high school teacher named John Thomas Scopes. He was being tried for teaching evolution in public schools. The theory of evolution stated that human beings developed from simpler forms of life over a long period of time. Back then, the only thing teachers could teach about was the Bible view of how humans originated, and this was by God. Clarence Darrow, Scopes lawyer, was all for teaching evolution in public schools. However, William Jennings Bryan, a famous Christian fundamentalist, believed that the words of the Bible should be taken literally. The trial deals with two things: whether the teachings of humans should come from the religious feudalism or should the teachings of humans be taught by science. Scopes, along with others felt not being able to teach what you wanted was breaking the first amendment. This amendment stated the freedom of speech and religion. In the end, William Jennings Bryan admitted that the Bible could be interpreted in different ways. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but the conviction was later reversed because of a small legal error. This law remained in effect until 1967, when the state legislature abolished it. .
