Scopes trial

Scopes trial
a famous US court case in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. A teacher, John Scopes, was put on trial because he taught Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, which was illegal under local law. The case was informally called the ‘monkey trial’. The American Civil Liberties Union got Clarence Darrow to defend Scopes, and William Jennings Bryan helped to argue the case against him. Scopes was judged guilty but freed for technical reasons. The law was only changed in 1967.

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(July 10–21, 1925) Widely publicized trial (called the "Monkey Trial") in Dayton, Tenn.

John T. Scopes (1900–70), a high-school teacher, was charged with teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which violated a state law prohibiting the teaching of any doctrine that denied the divine creation of humans. The trial was broadcast live on radio and attracted worldwide interest. The prosecutor was William Jennings Bryan; the defense attorney was Clarence Darrow. The judge limited arguments to the basic charge to avoid a test of the law's constitutionality and a discussion of Darwin's theory. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100; he was later acquitted on the technicality that he had been fined excessively. The law was repealed in 1967.

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▪ United States law case
  (July 10–21, 1925, Dayton, Tennessee, U.S.), highly publicized trial (known as the “Monkey Trial”) of a Dayton, Tennessee, high-school teacher, John T. Scopes, charged with violating state law by teaching Charles Darwin (Darwin, Charles)'s theory of evolution. In March 1925 the Tennessee legislature had declared unlawful the teaching of any doctrine denying the divine creation of man as taught by the Bible. World attention focused on the trial proceedings, which promised confrontation between fundamentalist literal belief and liberal interpretation of the Scriptures. William Jennings Bryan (Bryan, William Jennings) led for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow (Darrow, Clarence) for the defense. The judge ruled out any test of the law's constitutionality or argument on the validity of the theory, limiting the trial to the single question of whether John T. Scopes had taught evolution, which he admittedly had. He was convicted and fined $100. On appeal, the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 1925 law but acquitted Scopes on the technicality that he had been fined excessively. The law was repealed in 1967.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Scopes Trial — Coordinates: 35°29′41.74″N 85°00′45.63″W / 35.4949278°N 85.012675°W / 35.4949278; 85.012675 …   Wikipedia

  • Scopes trial — Scopes tri|al, the also the Monkey Trial a famous US court case in which John Scopes, a ↑biology teacher, was taken to a court of law in 1925 for teaching Darwin s theory of ↑Evolution, because this was against the law in the state of Tennessee,… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Scopes trial — noun a highly publicized trial in 1925 when John Thomas Scopes violated a Tennessee state law by teaching evolution in high school; Scopes was prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan and defended by Clarence Darrow; Scopes was convicted but the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Scopes Trial — /ˈskoʊps traɪəl/ (say skohps truyuhl) noun the 1925 trial of John T Scopes, a Tennessee school teacher, prosecuted for teaching Darwin s theory of evolution …  

  • (the) Scopes trial — the Scopes trial [the Scopes trial] a famous US court case in 1925 in Dayton, ↑Tennessee. A teacher, John Scopes, was put on trial because he taught Charles Darwin s theory of ↑evolution, which was illegal under local law. The case was informally …   Useful english dictionary

  • Scopes-Prozess — Beim Scopes Prozess handelt es sich um einen Prozess vor einem Gericht in Dayton, Tennessee im Jahr 1925, bei dem ein im selben Jahr verabschiedetes Gesetz getestet wurde, welches verbot, Theorien zu lehren, die der Bibel in Bezug auf die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Scopes — noun Tennessee highschool teacher who violated a state law by teaching evolution; in a highly publicized trial in 1925 he was prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan and defended by Clarence Darrow (1900 1970) • Syn: ↑John Scopes, ↑John Thomas… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Scopes, John Thomas — (b. c. 1895)    Scientific Educator.    Scopes was a young high school teacher in Dayton, Tennessee. In 1925 he was charged with teaching darwin’s theory of evolution in his science lessons. This was forbidden by Tennessee state law. The case… …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • trial — /truy euhl, truyl/, n. 1. Law. a. the examination before a judicial tribunal of the facts put in issue in a cause, often including issues of law as well as those of fact. b. the determination of a person s guilt or innocence by due process of law …   Universalium

  • Scopes — /skohps/, n. John Thomas, 1901 70, U.S. high school teacher whose teaching of the Darwinian theory of evolution became a cause célèbre (Scopes Trial or Monkey Trial) in 1925. * * * …   Universalium

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