Notes on the Scopes Trial
the Scopes trial July 1925 Was Also Called the Monkey Trial mixture of religion science in public schools in Dayton Tennessee
1859- Charles Darwin the origin of species is public each species has been independently created is wrong
1914-George William Hunter wrote a book called acidic biology That used in biology in Dayton Tennessee describes evolution as the belief that simple forms of life on earth slowly and gradually gave rise to those more complex
1921-former Congressman Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan anti-evolution movement leader better to trust in the rock of ages than to know the age of the rock he was a God nut
1924-Brian gives a lecture in Nashville Called Is the Bible True copies of the speech are delivered to the Tennessee legislature
January 21, 1925 representative John Washington Butler introduces legislation in the Tennessee House of Representatives calling for a ban on the teaching of evolution the law was known as the Butler bill would prohibit teaching of any theory that denies the story of the Divine creation of man as taught in the Bible and to teach instead that man has descended from lower order of animals
January 27, 1925 Tennessee House representative approves Butler bill 71 to 5 vote
March 13, 1925 Tennessee Senate approves the Butler bill 24 to 6
May 4, 1925 Chattanooga Tennessee newspaper runs a story that the American several liberties Union ACLU is seeking teachers willing to challenge the Butler law to test the law and the courts
May 5, 1925 Dayton Tennessee wants the publicity and wants to increase money into the town's economy so they want to bring the court case to Dayton Tennessee the 24-year-old science teacher and football coach John Thomas Scopes will ring the case to trial. He taught biology as a substitute teacher and he wasn't even sure if he covered evolution in his class
May 12, 1925 Clarence Darrow and Dudley Field Malone represented Scopes and Brian said he would be on the side of the prosecution
May 25, 1925 Scopes is indicted by a grand jury for violating Tennessee's anti-evolution law
May through July 1925 six blocks of Dayton's main rotor transformed into pedestrian mall speakers platform is built Taurus campus constructed technology like the telegraph and telephone wiring and a radio broadcast cost $1000 a day just for the telephone line.
July 10, 1925 trial begins judge John Ralston as a reverend open the proceedings with the prayer
July 13, 1925 defense attorney Clarence Darrow has a speech are going the law violates freedom of religion
July 14, 1925 Darrow objects to the practice of opening trial with the prayer
July 15, 1925 Judge won't say it's unconstitutional a law gives no preference to any religion the public schools are not maintained as a place of worship but were designed for the purpose of mental and moral development and discipline
Scopes pleads not guilty to students say Scopes taught evolution the defense question zoologist Maynard met class who says evolution is widely embraced in the scientific community
July 21, 1925 final day of the trial judge said Brian can't return to the stand as a Bible expert Darrow asked the court to bring jury in and find Scopes guilty a move that would allow a higher court to consider an appeal the jury returns the guilty verdict after 9 min. Scopes is fine hundred dollars Brian and the ACLU paid for Scopes says he opposes the law is a violation of academic freedom
July 26, 1925 Brian dies in his sleep
1926 Mississippi becomes the second state to pass a law banning the teaching of evolution in public schools
Joe Mendi is a chimpanzee movie performer and he was an attendance at trial. .the Scopes trial was about spectacle journalist HL Mencken dubbed Dayton Tennessee monkey town