Scopes $2.00 Summary
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Scopes $2.00 Summary
Scopes Trial
Scopes trial was one of the most famous and controversial legal cases in United
States history. The trial involved a high school teacher named John Thomas
Scopes, and it took place in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1925. Scopes was found guilty
of violating a Tennessee law that made it illegal to teach the theory of evolution in
public schools. This theory suggests that human beings developed from simpler
life forms over a long period. By law, public school teachers were allowed to teach
only the Biblical account of the Creation, which tells how God created human
beings essentially as they exist today. Many scientists accepted the view that
monkeys and human beings had common ancestors, and so the Scopes case was
often called the "monkey trial."
The trial attracted worldwide attention, largely because of the participation of
two celebrities, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. Bryan, an
unsuccessful candidate for president of the United States three times, aided the
prosecution. He believed in fundamentalism, a movement whose members insist
that words of the Bible should be taken literally. Darrow, a famous criminal
lawyer, defended Scopes. Darrow strongly supported the right to teach evolution.
Bryan, considered an expert on the Bible, accepted Darrow's challenge to become
a witness. But Darrow humiliated and outsmarted Bryan in the cross-examination.
Legally, the Scopes case was unimportant. Scopes was fined $100, but the
conviction was later reversed because of a small legal error. The Tennessee law
remained in effect until 1967, when the state legislature abolished it.
Tierney, Kevin. "Scopes trial." World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.