US History

Science and Technology

The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)

Law and Government

This collection uses primary sources to explore the 1925 Scopes Trial.

Teaching Guide: Exploring the Scopes Trial

A photo of John Thomas Scopes in June 1925.

A photo of the Dayton, Tennessee, high school in June 1925.

A photo of scientists asked to testify for the defense, July 1925.

An excerpt from *A Civic Biology: Presented in Problems*, by George William Hunter, 1914. 

An excerpt from *A School History of Tennessee*, 1919, discussing the importance of religion in the state.

A record of witness testimony, from the record and documents of the Scopes trial, 1925.

A 1925 photo of defense lawyer Arthur Garfield Hays reading scientists’ testimony into the record, near a “Read Your Bible” sign.

A 1925 photo of defense lawyer Clarence S. Darrow interrogating prosecutor William Jennings Bryan during the Scopes trial.

A 1925 photo of outdoor court proceedings showing William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. 

A photo of zoologist Maynard Mayo Metcalf, the only scientist allowed to testify on the stand at the Scopes trial.

An excerpt from Maynard Mayo Metcalf’s book showing an illustrated outline of his “theory of organic evolution,” 1906.

A photographic portrait of defense attorney Clarence Darrow.

A portrait of William Jennings Bryan.

A 1935 political cartoon, “New Exhibit in the Hall of Fame.”

An excerpt from *Bryan and Darrow at Dayton: the record and documents of the "Bible-evolution trial,”* 1925. 

Resources

1. [Evolution: Scopes Trial](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/2/l_082_01.html), PBS. 

2. [This Day in History: Monkey Trial Begins](http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/monkey-trial-begins), History.com. 

3. [The Scopes Trial](http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/twenty/tkeyinfo/tscopes.htm), National Humanities Center. 

4. [Throwback Thursday: The Scopes Trial](http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/throwback-thursday-the-scopes-trial/?_r=0), *The New York Times*. 

5. [*Epperson v. Arkansas*](https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/393/97), Cornell University Law School. 


Overview

The Scopes Trial (sometimes referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial) was a 1925 legal case which argued whether human evolution could be taught in public schools. A substitute teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, John T. Scopes, was brought to trial for including evolutionary science in his class curriculum. The Scopes Trial was a highly publicized event that brought the conflict between traditionally religious and more modern scientific views to the forefront. This collection of photos, texts, and accounts from the trial help to give a vivid context for the trial itself, as well as the larger issues of science and religion that Scopes’ case brought into question. 

English

The Scopes Trial

scopes-trial_12_c979709afa970b8a9df729db4422fdc2.jpg

Courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library via California Digital Library.

“Clarence Darrow,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/2e49662fd673cfa94ba16ba51651aeb6.

A photographic portrait of defense attorney Clarence Darrow.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 12 of 15 in the Primary Source Set The Scopes Trial