On May 5, 1925, high school science teacher John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in one of Tennessee’s public schools.
On May 5, 1925, high school science teacher John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in one of Tennessee’s public schools. In Dayton, Tennessee, the Scopes Trial begins in which a local high school science teacher, Mr. John Scopes, is accused of teaching evolution which was a violation of Tennessee state law. The law, passed in March of that year, considered it a misdemeanor to "teach any theory that denies the story of Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." Scopes had conspired to get accused of this law so that it could be challenged and shortly enlisted the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union. William Jennings Bryan, a three-time Democratic presidential candidate and Christian fundamentalist volunteered to argue for the prosecution. The ACLU contacted the distinguished attorney Clarence Darrow. Outside the courthouse, Dayton became a carnival town as vendors set up car