Scopes Trial

During the Scopes Trial, high school biology teacher John Scopes was convicted for teaching the theory of evolution in violation of the Butler Act. The trial drew thousands of spectators and was moved from inside the courthouse to the front lawn in fear that the weight of the crowd would collapse the floor.

The Butler act, passed on March 13, 1925, made it illegal to "teach 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 a lower order of animals." The crime was a misdemeanor, punishable by a minimum fine of $100.

• 1925: March 21, The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools.

• 1925: May 4, The ACLU runs advertises for a teacher willing to teach evolution, to challenge the law

• 1925: May 5, John T. Scopes is convinced to to become a defendant in the test case.

• 1925: May 25, Scopes is indicted by a grand jury.

• 1925: July 10, The case comes before judge John T. Raulston.

• 1925: July 20, Bryan is interrogated by Clarence Darrow about his knowledge of the Bible.

• 1925: July 21, The jury announces a verdict of guilty. Judge Raulston fines Scopes $100.

• 192: January 15, The Tennessee Supreme Court overturns the guilty verdict on a technicality - the judge had set the fine instead of the jury. The Butler Act remains in effect.

• 1955: January, The play Inherit the Wind, based on the events of the Scopes Trial, opens on Broadway.

• 1967: May 16, The Butler Act is repealed.

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