Background of Scopes Monkey Trial
At the beginning of the 20th century, Darwin's theory of evolution had already been accepted by American society. The theories of natural selection and survival of the fittest were written into textbooks. Children would return home to tell their parents what the Bible said was all nonsense. Although church membership increasing by nearly 13 million during this decade, the number of churches was constantly diminishing. Many pastors complained that fewer and fewer congregants were attending worship. Some pastors simply gave up on Sunday services. Moral of Christianity was emphasized rather than miracles, such as the resurrection of Jesus, heaven and hell, and the end of the world, etc.
State Representative John Washington Butler, a Tennessee farmer and head of the World Christian Fundamentals Association, planned to legislate to counterattack the erosion of Christian faith by evolution. In 1925, Tennessee passed the Butler Act to restrict teachers from instructing any knowledge that contradicted Genesis. This seemed to be tailored for Darwin's evolution directly.
American scientists, teachers, students and so on protested their dissatisfaction with Butler Act. Hence, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) targeted the Butler Act. They hoped to overturn this conservative legislation through litigation. A "wanted" ad was published in newspapers by them to recruit a teacher willing to break the law, and all legal costs would be covered by union.
This message was read by the opportunistic coal businessman George Rappleyea. He keenly smelled a huge business opportunity: why not get involved in the lawsuit to attract national attention for saving this declining small town? So, he discussed with local high school principal Walter White. The two immediately hit it off and decided to stir up trouble. Teacher John Scopes was instigated to violate the Butler Act deliberately. Even three students testified that he indeed teached Darwin's theory of evolution in classroom.
Scopes Monkey Trial evolved into a confrontation between science and religion
Both sides assembled the top legal teams to defend themselves. William Jennings Bryan, three-time Democratic presidential candidate and a devout Christian, volunteered to assist the prosecution in arguing the case against evolution. Clarence Darrow, one of the most famous defense attorneys in the country and a steadfast atheist, led Scopes' defense team. Evolution was sensationalized by the media as a theory linking humans and monkeys. Hundreds of reporters from across the country were dispatched to Dayton to report. The defense and trial in the courtroom would be broadcast by radio to every corner of America.
Although the focus of the trial was whether Scopes violated the law, it quickly turned into a broader debate about science, religion, and freedom. Clarence Darrow passionately stated, "If today we convict teachers for teaching evolution, then tomorrow books, newspapers, and magazines will also be put on trial. Eventually, any conversation that disagrees with the consensus will be put on trial, until we return to the 16th century. In that era, fanatics would light fires to burn anyone who dared to spread the truth." Bryan mockingly said: Christians believe man comes from heaven, while evolutionists believe man comes from hell. He waved a biology textbook to condemn the scientists who came to Dayton. Bible would not be driven out of the courtroom by those experts who came from hundreds of miles away. They arrogantly thought they could equate the monkeys in jungle with the humans created by God.
Because of the heat and a fear that the old court's floor might collapse under the weight of throng, the trial was resumed outside under maples. More than 2,000 spectators sat on wooden benches or squatted on grass, perched on the tops of parked cars, or gawked from windows.
Darrow played his trump card by calling Bryan as a witness for the defense. He asked Bryan if he completely believed in the Bible. When he got a positive response, he retorted: "God created day and night on the first day and the sun on the fourth day. Since day and night already existed, why was there no sun?" Bryan couldn't even explain where Cain got his wife. Bryan was overwhelmed by Darrow's continuous attacks. He had no choice but to accuse Darrow of blaspheming the Bible in court.
The judge instructed the jury not to consider the conflict between evolution and religion, but only to focus on whether Scopes had broken the law. The jurors retreated to a corner of the lawn and whispered for only nine minutes: Scopes was guilty. Scopes was fined $100. The verdict was overturned on a technicality by the Supreme Court following an appeal by defendants.