John Scopes
John Scopes was fresh out of college in the spring of 1925. In his first year of teaching, he was a science teacher and part time football coach. He taught in a town called Dayton. He was deciding to go back home to Kentucky for summer, but he stayed another week and it changed his life forever. When the state passed the law that public schools were not allowed to teach evolution, a businessman called him and asked him if he was willing to be indicted for teaching evolution. The interesting thing is that he couldn't remember even teaching evolution to his students, but because he believed in evolution he agreed to the plan.
This video is a depiction of the arrest of John Scopes. (Note: this is not actual video of his arrest)
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Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow was born Kinsborn, Ohio, on 18th April, 1857. His father originally trained to be a Unitarian minister, but lost his faith and Clarence was brought up as an agnostic. He gained his education at Allheny College and the University of Michigan Law School. After his education, he became a member of the Ohio bar in 1878. For the next nine years he became a small town lawyer. Then in 1887, he moved to Chicago for more interesting work. In 1890, Darrow became the General Attorney to the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. Darrow's liberal views were based on the belief that social and psychological pressure were mainly responsible for and individuals anti-social behavior. Darrow's most famous case was in 1925, when he defended John Scopes, rather than the Doctrine of Divine Creation.
Scopes Trial
John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee. He was charged on May 5, 1925. He was charged for violating Tennessee's Butler Act. The Butler act prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools across Tennessee. He was put on trial for a case known as the Scopes Trial. The Scopes Trial was known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes. This was a American legal case in 1925. The trial was meant to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton Tennessee. Scopes was not sure whether or not he had actually taught evolution, but he did it on purpose so that the case could have a defendant. As the case came to a close Scopes was found guilty and fined $100. On appeal, Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the anti-evolution law and overturned Scopes' conviction because of a technicality. Then the Tennessee law was eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in the year 1965.