John T. ScopesJohn Thomas Scopes (August 3, 1900 – October 21, 1970) was an American teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged on May 5, 1925, with violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee schools. He was tried in a case known as the Scopes trial and was found guilty and fined $100 (equivalent to $1,836 in 2025). Early lifeScopes was born in 1900 to Thomas Scopes and Mary Alva Brown, who lived on a farm in Paducah, Kentucky.
Butler ActThe Butler Act was a 1925 Tennessee law prohibiting public school teachers from denying the Genesis account of humankind's origin. The law also prevented the teaching of the evolution of humans from what it referred to as lower orders of animals in place of the Biblical account. The law was introduced by Tennessee House of Representatives member John Washington Butler, for whom the law was named.
TennesseeU.S. stateState in the United StatesTennessee ( , locally ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states.
William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1896, 1900, and 1908 elections. He served in the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895 and as the secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915.
Test case (law)In case law, a test case is a lawsuit whose purpose is to establish an important legal principle or right and to set a precedent. Test cases are brought to court with the intention of challenging, interpreting, or receiving clarification on a present law, regulation, or constitutional principle. Government agencies sometimes bring test cases to confirm or expand their powers. The outcome of test cases has a wide public significance as it shapes future rulings.
American Civil Liberties UnionLegal advocacy organization in the United StatesThe American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofitcivil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. As of 2024, the ACLU's budget is $383 million.
Dayton, TennesseeDayton is a city in and the county seat of Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,065. The Dayton Urban Cluster includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville. Dayton was the site of the Scopes trial in 1925 dealing with the rejection of evolution by religious groups.
VerdictIn law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In England and Wales, a coroner's findings used to be called verdicts but are, since 2009, called conclusions (see Coroner § Inquest conclusions (previously called verdicts)).
Human evolutionEvolutionary processA phylogenic model depicts (from lower right) Homo erectus spreading from Africa to Eurasia around 1.8 millions of years ago. Its descendant H. heidelbergensis originated Denisovans, Neanderthals, and H. sapiens (humans) around 350,000 years ago.Homo sapiens is a distinct species of the hominid family of primates, which includes all the great apes.Fine (penalty)A fine or mulct (the latter synonym typically used in civil law) is a penalty of money that a court of law or other authority decides has to be paid as punishment for a crime or other offense. The amount of a fine can be determined case by case, but it is often announced in advance. The most usual use of the term is for financial punishments for the commission of crimes, especially minor crimes, or as the settlement of a claim.Self-incriminationIn criminal law, self-incrimination is the act of making a statement that exposes oneself to an accusation of criminal liability or prosecution. Self-incrimination can occur either directly or indirectly: directly, by means of interrogation where information of a self-incriminatory nature is disclosed; or indirectly, when information of a self-incriminatory nature is disclosed voluntarily without pressure from another person.Legal CaseLegal Case (18 April 1986 – after 2006) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbredracehorse and sire. He did not appear until the summer of his three-year-old season, but then made rapid progress, winning two minor races and the Select Stakes before recording his biggest win in the Champion Stakes in October 1989. He was never as good again, but did win the Premio Roma in 1990. After his retirement from racing, he had some success as a breeding stallion in Brazil.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.