Was the scopes trial soley based on the fact that he was caught teaching evolution ?

Question

i just wanted to know if it was just beause of the teaching of evolution or if there was something behind it

Answer 1

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Of course there was something (and someone) behind it.

George Rappalyea
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects…

For the full story:
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects…

Answer 2

Scopes intentionally violated the law in order to try to get the law overturned in court. The textbook he used also promoted eugenics and said white people are the most evolved people on the planet.

Answer 3

You may be basing your information on the Hollywood fictional movie/play that was nothing close to reality. It was "based" loosely on the scopes trial and even used some transcripts, but it is fiction and largely misleading regarding the actual facts of the trial which pitted "Scopes" (the evolutionist) against William Jennings Bryan (the creationist) simply to fuel prejudice against Christians. In reality it was a witch hunt against Christians. For instance, consider these lies from the play:

• In the play, John Scopes (the teacher) was jailed for teaching evolution. In reality, he was never jailed and never in danger of imprisonment. He was not a biologist, did not have a university degree and was only a substitute teacher who was purposely sought by the ACLU to challenge the butler act (which DID NOT forbid the teaching of evolution, only that you could not state as fact that humans evolved from animals). Scopes lawyers actually coached his students to lie at the trial claiming Scopes had taught evolution when he had done no such thing! So Scopes hadn't been attacked, it was actually the other way around with the ACLU and Scopes attacking Christians. Scopes was only fined $100 for his supposed infraction and Bryan offered to pay it.
• In the play, Bryan is interrogated at the trial and claims he had never read the "origin of species" and is made to look ignorant of evolution. In reality he had read Darwin's work 20 years before the trial and published many articles critical of Darwinism and was exceptionally well versed on evolution.
• In the play, Christians of the day are naturally portrayed as ignorant, close-minded bigots, when in actuality both sides were very educated and cordial to each other.
• In the play, Reverend Jeremiah Brown leads a prayer meeting calling on God to "destroy" Scopes with his daughters begging to spare him. In reality, these were completely fictitious characters.
• In the play, Scopes fiancée (Rachel Brown) is mistreated by Bryan at the trial. This was also fiction as no women participated in the trial and Scopes did not even have a girlfriend.
• There are a considerable number of other fictitious characters and dialogue in the play that never occurred simply to bias the play against creation. For example, the play had closing arguments, when in actuality none were given at the real trial.
• At the actual scopes trial, "Piltdown man" was the primary evidence used in favor of evolution. However, we know today that this was a complete hoax!

Bottom line, there was never any persecution of evolutionists. It was indeed the other way around. Today, creation science is forbidden to be taught in our schools, with teachers having their careers destroyed for even mentioning any evidence contrary to evolution. This never happened to evolutionists.

Answer 4

Yes, the ACLU was behind it. It was a publicity stunt.

What most people have lost sight of after 84 years is that the Scopes Monkey Trial was nothing more than a publicity stunt. John Scopes, the teacher, for lack of a better term, was ‘recruited’ to be the defendant in the case. There was no ‘Salem Witch-Hunt’ in Dayton with preachers trolling the hallways of Dayton’s schools hunting for teachers who were violating Tennessee’s prohibition on teaching evolution.

“The whole idea of suing a teacher for teaching evolution was not conceived by the citizens of Dayton, Tennessee, but rather was promoted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New York City. The ACLU advertised in newspapers to locate a teacher in Tennessee who would be willing to test the Butler Act in the courts (with all expenses to be paid by the ACLU). A Dayton resident, George Rappleyea, saw an ACLU advertisement in a Chattanooga newspaper and pressured his friend John Scopes to accept the offer. Unfortunately, Scopes was not a science teacher (he majored in prelaw) and had never actually taught evolution! Scopes was a math teacher and football coach who had merely filled in for the biology teacher (who was ill) for two weeks at the end of the school year. Still, with Scopes' reluctant permission, Rappleyea immediately notified the ACLU that "Professor J.T. Scopes, teacher of science at Rhea County High School, will be arrested and charged with teaching evolution."

It was a jury trial and Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution theories in violation of Tennessee law, i.e., the Butler Act. That is all he was on trial for.

In 1926, a year after the guilty verdict, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Dayton court on a technicality and dismissed the case. The court commented, "Nothing is to be gained by prolonging the life of this bizarre case."

One of the country's greatest orators, William Jennings Bryan, was the prosecuting attorney who is best remembered for his 'Cross of Gold' speech. Scopes’ attorney was the famous Clarence Darrow.

The City Fathers of Dayton welcomed the trial. It put Dayton on the map in 1925 and stimulated its economy. There was a circus-like atmosphere in the town during the trial.