One hundred years ago, May 25, 1925began in Tennesseein the United States of the South, a process that went down in history as “The monkey process”which saw on the defendants’ counter John Scopesprofessor of biology accused of having taught the theory of evolution in the classroom As defined by Charles Darwin. An official act of the State of Tennessee, the Butler ActIn fact, he prevented from disseminating in public schools contained other than the biblical vision of the history of humanity. Say that man descends from the monkey, therefore, It was a crime. The defender of Scopes at the trial was the lawyer Clarence Seward Darrow.
Scopes agreed with being accused: theAmerican Civil Liberties Union We wanted to oppose the Butler Act, and he was looking for a teacher ready to become spokesperson for the cause To bring attention to the story and fight for freedom of expression and scientific correctness. John Scopes appeared in court and lost the case: He had to pay a fine of $ 100, but the sentence was then canceled.
The monkey trial: the facts that brought Johns Scopes to court
In 1925, In Tennessee the so -called Butler Act was issueda law that believed illegal to disseminate information other than those that see man as the result of divine creation as told in the Bible.
The text of the Butler Act, approved on March 13, 1925, defined that:
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Section 1. It is decreed by the General Assembly of the State of the Tennessee who will be illegal for any teacher in any of the universities, normal schools and other public schools of the State who are financed in whole or in part by the funds of the state public schools, teaching any theory that denies the history of the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible and teach instead that man derives from a lower order of animals.
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Section 2. It is also established that any teacher deemed guilty of violation of this law will be considered guilty of a minor crime and, in the event of a conviction, will be fined of no less than one hundred dollars (100.00) and not more than five hundred dollars (500.00) for each crime.
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Section 3. It is also established that this law enters into force starting from its approval, if public well -being requires it.
THE’Aclu (American Civil Liberties Union – American Union for Civil Freedoms) intervened immediately, considering This law a limitation to citizens’ freedomand opposing the fact that the State of the Tennessee, in 1914, had requested the adoption of a textbook where there was clearly talking about evolution as defined by Charles Darwin. There was, therefore, an evident contrast, and it was necessary to fight: the Aclu sought a teacher who voluntarily had accused himself, To bring this story to public attention.
The teacher who moved forward was John Scopes24 years old, by profession football coach but alternate biology.
The beginning of the process of the Scopes monkey
On May 25, 1925, the trial started in the city of Dayton. John Scopes, accused by William Jennings Bryan – former Secretary of State with President Woodrow Wilson and in turn nominated three times to the Presidency of the United States – was defended by the progressive lawyer Clarence Seward Darrow. The process was the First legal event in the world to be broadcast via radio From the Chicago WGN station, which transferred all the – very expensive – equipment to bring the process to the attention of the US and the world to Dayton.
John Scopes was guiltyand the fine was set to 100 dollars: Both his accuser and the American union for civil freedoms offered to pay for him. Two years later, in reality, the sentence was archived: it appeared immediately clear that the Monkey process He was not aimed at Scopes as a teacher, But at the content of the Butler Act. The law, in reality, remained in force until 1965.
The story is told in 1988 film “1925: the monkey process” and the Tennessee State Museum He dedicated an in -depth content on the process, where it is possible to observe more close details and curiosities.
