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The '''Scopes Trial''', sometimes known as the "Scopes monkey trial," took place in [[Tennessee]] in 1925. It was engineered as a challenge to the state's Butler Act which prohibited public schools from teaching the fact of human evolutiontheory that man had evolved from more primitive life forms. The defendant was John T. Scopes (1900- 1970), a teacher who had volunteered for the challenge. Scopes was convicted, and the conviction was soon overturned on a technicality and never appealed. The trial was one of the most watched epsiodes in the history of American religious and American education. It was seen as a confrontation between modern science and [[Fundamentalism]] in its belief in the inerrancy of the Bible.

The dramatic highlight of the trial was when famed defense lawyer [[Clarence Darrow]] called prosecution procesution lawyer [[William Jennings Bryan]] to top testify as an expert on the Bible.

The [[ACLU]] challenged a Tennessee statute, the Butler Act, that imposed a fine for teaching in government schools that "man descended from more primitive life forms" (demonstrating the lawmakers' complete lack of understanding of evolution). The statute did not prohibit teaching most aspects of [[evolution]]. The textbook at issue in the case suggested indirectly (through a tree-like diagram) that "man descended from lower life forms".

Darrow successfully demonstrated undoubtedly thought that he could turn Bryan into the inherent silliness proverbial buffoon that liberals wanted. As the transcript reveals, however, Bryan got the better of creationism by challenging his accuser. Bryan repeatedly turned the tables on Darrow's questions, which the large courtroom audience found amusing at Darrow's expense. Here is a sample:<ref>http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/day7.htm</ref> :Bryan--These gentlemen have not had much chance--they did not come here to fully explicate try this case. They came here to try revealed religion. I am here to defend it and they can ask me any question they please. :Judge--All right. (Applause in audience.) … :Bryan--Those [the position audience] are the people whom you insult. :Darrow--You insult every man of science and learning in any way acceptable the world because he does believe in your fool religion. .... :Darrow: Wait until you get to me [N.B. this apparently refers to Darrow's agreement to be a witness]. Do you know anything about how many people there were in Egypt 3,500 years ago, or how many people there were in China 5,000 years ago? :Bryan--No. :Darrow--Have you ever tried to find out? :Bryan--No, sir. You are the first man I ever heard of who has been in interested in it. (Laughter) :Darrow--Mr. Bryan, am I the first man you ever heard of who has been interested in the age of human reasonsocieties and primitive man? :Bryan--You are the first man I ever heard speak of the number of people at those different periods. Of course :Darrow--Where have you lived all your life? :Bryan--Not near you. (Laughter and applause). Darrow tried again and again to trap Bryan, and, from his viewpoint, he sometimes succeeded. For example, Darrow grilled Bryan failedon the topic of Bryan's literal interpretation of the Bible. Notably, although many Darrow pressed Bryan on the issue of how the weaker minded there thought sun stood still for [[Joshua]] in the [[Old Testament]]. In the end he showed that it could not have taken place through natural causes, which, as an atheist, was all he felt he needed. For those who believed it was a miracle for the sun to stop at all in the sky, as the Bible infers, the concept that it could not have taken place naturally was irrelevant.  :Darrow--The Bible says Joshua commanded the sun to stand still for the purpose of lengthening the day, doesn't it, and you believe it?  :Bryan--I do. :Darrow--Do you believe at that time the entire sun went around the earth? :Bryan--No, I believe that the earth goes around the sun. :Darrow--Do you believe that the men who wrote it thought that the day could be lengthened or that the sun could be stopped? :Bryan--I don't know what they thought. :Darrow--You don't know? :Bryan--I think they wrote the fact without expressing their own thoughts. :Darrow-- Now, Mr. Bryan, have you ever pondered what would have happened to the earth if it had scored some form stood still? :Bryan--No. :Darrow--You have not? :Bryan-- No; the God I believe in could have taken care of victory through citing random passages that, Mr. Darrow. :Darrow-- I see. Have you ever pondered what would naturally happen to the earth if it stood still suddenly? :Bryan-- No. :Darrow--Don't you know it would have been converted into molten mass of matter? :Bryan--You testify to that when you get on the stand, I will give you a chance. :Darrow--Don't you believe it? :Bryan--I would want to hear expert testimony on that. :Darrow--You have never investigated that subject? :Bryan--I don't think I have ever had the question asked. :Darrow--Or ever thought of it? :Bryan--I have been too busy on thinks that I thought were of more importance than that.  A later exchange ended, once again, with the audience laughing: :Darrow--I will read it to you from the Bible : "And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and glibly joking when corneredabove every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." Do you think that is why the serpent is compelled to crawl upon its belly? :Bryan--I believe that. :Darrow--Have you any idea how the snake went before that time? :Bryan--No, sir. :Darrow--Do you know whether he walked on his tail or not? :Bryan--No, sir. I have no way to know. (Laughter in audience).

American history books correctly usually describe this case as a major defeat for Fundamentalists.<ref>The trial "marked a decisive setback for fundamentalism," says ''The Enduring Vision, Fifth Edition,'' Chapter 23: The 1920s: Coping with Change, Paul S. Boyer, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Clifford E. Clark, Jr., Carleton College; et al. (a commonly used American history textbook for Advanced Placement US History classes).</ref>In fact, the successful defense of the law enabled Tennessee to keep the racist evolutionary textbook out of its schools, to avoid teaching the falsehoods of evolution (such as the [[Piltdown Man]] featured in the trial textbook) to schoolchildren, and to permit the State (which still rejects a state income tax) to grow in [[conservatism]] to this day. Liberals [[Al Gore]], [[John Kerry]] and [[Barack Obama]] all failed to carry the state in recent presidential elections.