When Tennessee Banned Evolution: The Law That Sparked the Scopes “Monkey” Trial

0:00Support for this podcast is brought to you by Walden University. Ever catch yourself thinking, what if I could go after what I actually want and really make a difference? You're not alone. And that's exactly why I want to tell you about Walden University. For over 50 years, Walden has helped working adults like you get the W with the knowledge and skills to build the future you want and make a difference where it matters most. If you've been waiting for the right moment, this is it. Head to waldenu.edu and take that first step. Walden University, set a course for change, certified to operate by Shev. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zip Recruiter for free. At ziprecruiter.com slash zip. Zip Recruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them

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2:05we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite F word. In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Fantastic. So whether you need to hire four, 40 or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to ziprecruiter.com slash zip to try Zip Recruiter for free. Don't forget that ziprecruiter.com slash zip. Finally, that ziprecruiter.com slash zip. Hello, dear listeners. On March 13th, 1925, the state of Tennessee quietly passed a law that would ignite one of the most famous courtroom battles in American history. It was called the Butler Act and its language was deceptively simple. Public school teachers in Tennessee were forbidden from teaching any theory that denied the biblical account of human creation. Specifically, any theory stating that humans descended from lower forms of life. In short, evolution was outlawed in public classrooms. This was not medieval Europe. This was 1925 America, the jazz age,

3:12radio broadcasts, automobiles, skyscrapers, and yet a state legislature had just voted to criminalize Darwin. To understand March 13th, you have to understand the cultural pressure cooker of 1920s America. Urban centers were modernizing rapidly and science was advancing at an unprecedented pace. Universities were teaching evolutionary biology as standard curriculum. But in rural and deeply religious communities, fundamentalist Christianity was rising in response. The theory of evolution had become symbolic. It was no longer just about fossils or finches. It was about authority. Who gets to define truth? The laboratory or the pulpit? The act itself was introduced by Tennessee legislator John Washington Butler, who later admitted he had never read Charles Darwin's on the origin of species. Butler believed evolution undermined morality and destabilized society.

4:16The bill passed the house by a vote of 71 to 5 and the Senate 24 to 6 before being signed into law by Governor Austin P. The vote was not close. There was little hesitation. In that moment, anti-evolution sentiment was not fringe. It was legislative majority. Shortly after the law passed, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would defend any teacher willing to challenge it. Enter John T. Scopes, a 24-year-old high school teacher in Dayton, Tennessee. Scopes agreed to be charged with violating the Butler Act by teaching evolution from a state-approved biology textbook. The case was partly strategic. Local businessmen and Dayton saw an opportunity. A trial would bring attention, tourism, and economic stimulus to their town. Dayton volunteered to become the stage. The trial began in July 1925 and quickly became a national spectacle. Two giants faced off in the courtroom. Clarence Darrow for the defense,

5:20a famous agnostic lawyer known for high-profile cases, and William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution, a three-time presidential candidate, an outspoken Christian fundamentalist. Reporters flooded Dayton. The proceedings were broadcast by radio, allowing Americans to listen to courtroom drama in real time, a relatively new phenomenon. The trial transcended legal argument and became theater. At one pivotal moment, Darrow called Bryan to the stand as a Bible expert. In the sweltering Tennessee heat, Bryan was questioned about the literal interpretation of Genesis. Did he believe the Earth was created in six 24-hour days? Could those days have been metaphorical? The exchange was tense, theological, and symbolic. It was less about Scopes himself and more about the intellectual direction of the country. Scopes was ultimately found guilty and fined $100. The conviction was later overturned on a technicality. Not because the law was

6:24unconstitutional, but because the fine had been improperly set by the judge instead of the jury. Importantly, the Butler Act itself remained law until 1967. The courtroom battle had ended, but the legislation endured. Publicly, the trial was often framed as a victory for modernism. Privately, many states continued restricting evolution education for decades. The cultural divide did not disappear. It hardened. The Scopes trial became shorthand for the clash between science and religion in American life, and perhaps the most unsettling detail is this. The debate never truly ended. It simply changed language, reframed arguments, and re-emerged in new forms. March 13, 1925 marks the moment when evolution stopped being merely a scientific discussion and became a legal battlefield. It exposed a fracture in American

7:25identity, modern versus traditional, urban versus rural, empirical versus literal. It forced the country to confront whether knowledge itself could be legislated, and that question still echoes. This episode is brought to you by selective curriculum publishing. Tired of complicated scientific theories cluttering up your classroom? Does natural selection feel unnecessary? Introducing the all-new, biblically compatible biology textbook. Now, with 100% fewer finches and absolutely no suspicious apes, why wrestle with fossils when you can just confidently gesture toward the sky? Our updated edition includes helpful classroom tools like strategic topic avoidance, advanced chalkboard erasing techniques, and a complimentary bookmark that reads, if I didn't read it, it can't evolve. Selective curriculum publishing. Because if the facts don't fit the narrative, simply adjust the facts. Side effects may include

8:28national radio trials and Clarence Darrow asking uncomfortable questions in 95-degree heat. Dear listeners, March 13th reminds us that history is not always about discovery. Sometimes it is about denial. Ideas do not go extinct, even when you try to outlaw them. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free. At zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So, while other companies might deliver a lot of, hey, Zippercrooter, find you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within

9:30the first day. Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire. And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free. That's right. Free at zippercrooter.com slash zip. That zippercrooter.com slash zip zippercrooter.com slash zip. Warning, the following Zippercrooter radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with efforts. When you're hiring, we at Zippercrooter know you can feel frustrated. For Lauren even. Like your efforts are futile. And you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people. Only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. Fortunately, Zippercrooter figured out how to fix all that. And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free at zippercrooter.com slash zip. With Zippercrooter, you can forget your frustrations because we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite effort. In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day. Fantastic. So whether you need to

10:31hire four, 40 or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to zippercrooter.com slash zip to try Zippercrooter for free. Don't forget that zippercrooter.com slash zip. Finally, Zippercrooter.com slash zip. Warning, the following Zippercrooter radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F words. When you're hiring, we at Zippercrooter know you can feel frustrated. For Lauren even. Like your efforts are futile. And you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people. Only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. Fortunately, Zippercrooter figured out how to fix all that. And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free at zippercrooter.com slash zip. With Zippercrooter, you can forget your frustrations because we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite effort. In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day. Fantastic. So whether you need to hire four,

11:33forty or four hundred people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to zippercrooter.com slash zip to try zippercrooter for free. Don't forget that zippercrooter.com slash zip. Finally, that zippercrooter.com slash zip. History says the mystery was solved. History is very confident about that. Welcome to Unsolved-ish, a strange history podcast where we examine crimes, disasters, and scientific weirdness that were wrapped up with the historical equivalent of met, probably vanished ships, Victorian murderers, glowing lights, scientists keep siding. If the explanation feels rushed, overly tidy or suspiciously convenient, we're already recording an episode about it. No shouting, no wild theories. Just a calm voice asking, are we sure about this? Unsolved-ish, a brand new podcast brought to you by Strange History Studios, because history loves closure, even when it didn't earn it.

12:37Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Unsolved-ish, a strange history podcast.