100th Anniversary Marks Enduring Impact of 1925 Tennessee Scopes Trial

The 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, marked a pivotal moment in the debate over teaching evolution in public schools, with teacher John T. Scopes prosecuted for violating a state law forbidding the teaching of human evolution. William Jennings Bryan, serving as prosecutor, defended the biblical creationist view, but during cross-examination by defense attorney Clarence Darrow, his literal interpretation of Scripture was challenged. Despite Bryan winning the trial and the law temporarily upheld, the case highlighted the ongoing cultural conflict between religious and scientific perspectives, a tension that persists today with only about 5% of Americans holding a consistently biblical worldview. The trial drew national attention, attracting journalists and onlookers, reflecting the era's mix of legal seriousness and local spectacle. Modern commemorations in Dayton include museums and statues honoring the trial’s key figures, underscoring its lasting significance in American education and culture. This centennial retrospective also recalls Darwin’s foundational work on evolution, which laid the scientific groundwork that the trial controversially confronted.