John Thomas Scopes (August 3, 1900 – October 21, 1970) was a teacher in

Dayton, Tennessee Dayton is a city in and the county seat of Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 7,065. The Dayton Urban Cluster includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends ...

, who was charged on May 5, 1925, with violating Tennessee's

Butler Act The Butler Act was a 1925 Tennessee law prohibiting public school teachers from denying the book of 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 ...

, which prohibited the teaching of

human evolution ''Homo sapiens'' is a distinct species of the hominid family of primates, which also includes all the great apes. Over their evolutionary history, humans gradually developed traits such as Human skeletal changes due to bipedalism, bipedalism, de ...

in Tennessee schools. He was tried in a case known as the Scopes trial, and was found guilty and fined $100 ().

Early life

Scopes was born in 1900 to Thomas Scopes and Mary Alva Brown, who lived on a farm in

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in the Upland South, and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern Unit ...

. John was their fifth child and only son. The family relocated to

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The populations was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area. History The area that is now Danville was on ...

, when he was a teenager. In 1917, he relocated to

Salem, Illinois Salem is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,282 at the 2020 census. History Salem was founded in 1823 as the county seat of the newly formed Marion County. It is situated halfway betw ...

, where he was a member of the class of 1919 at Salem Community High School. He attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

briefly, then quit for health reasons. He earned a degree at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in 1924, with a major in law and a minor in geology. Scopes relocated to

, where he became the Rhea County High School football coach, and occasionally served as a substitute teacher.

Trial

Scopes' involvement with the Scopes trial occurred after the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

(ACLU) announced that it would finance a

test case In software engineering, a test case is a specification of the inputs, execution conditions, testing procedure, and expected results that define a single test to be executed to achieve a particular software testing objective, such as to exercise ...

challenging the constitutionality of the Butler Act if it could find a Tennessee teacher who was willing to act as a defendant. A group of businessmen in Dayton, Tennessee, especially engineer and geologist

George Rappleyea George Washington Rappleyea (July 4, 1894 – August 29, 1966) was an American metallurgical engineer and the manager of the Cumberland Coal and Iron Company in Dayton, Tennessee. He held this position in the summer of 1925 when he became the chi ...

, considered this an opportunity to get publicity for their town, and Rappleyea spoke with Scopes, stating that while the Butler Act prohibited the teaching of human evolution, the state required teachers to use the assigned textbook,

George William Hunter George William Hunter (June 29, 1863, Williamsburg, West Virginia – February 4, 1948) was an American writer. He wrote '' Civic Biology'', the text at the center of the Scopes "monkey" trial in 1925. George William Hunter Jr. spent his later ...

's '' Civic Biology'' (1914), which included a chapter concerning evolution. Rappleyea argued that teachers were thus essentially required to violate the law. When asked about a test case, Scopes was initially reluctant to get involved. After some discussion he told the group gathered in Robinson's Drugstore, "If you can prove that I've taught evolution and that I can qualify as a defendant, then I'll be willing to stand trial". By the time the trial had begun, the defense team included

Clarence Darrow Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the 19th century for high-profile representations of trade union causes, and in the 20th century for several criminal matters, including the ...

Dudley Field Malone Dudley Field Malone (June 3, 1882 – October 5, 1950) was an American attorney, politician, liberal activist, and actor. Malone is best remembered as one of the most prominent liberal attorneys in the United States during the decade of the 1920s ...

John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...

Arthur Garfield Hays Arthur Garfield Hays (December 12, 1881 – December 14, 1954) was an American lawyer and champion of civil liberties issues, best known as a co-founder and general counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union and for participating in notable cas ...

and Frank McElwee. The prosecution team, directed by politician Tom Stewart, included brothers

Herbert Hicks Herbert S. Hicks (born 1872) was an American lawyer and state legislator in Illinois. He was a Republican and served in the Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Senate. He was born in Rockford, Illinois. He graduated from Illinois Sta ...

and Sue K. Hicks, Wallace Haggard, father and son pairings Ben and J. Gordon McKenzie, and

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

and

William Jennings Bryan Jr. William Jennings Bryan Jr. (June 24, 1889 – March 27, 1978) was an American lawyer and politician who served as United States Customs Service, collector of the Port of Los Angeles from 1938 to 1953. He was the only son of Democratic Party (Unit ...

The elder Bryan had spoken at Scopes' high school commencement, and remembered the defendant was laughing while he was giving the address to the graduating class six years earlier. The case ended on July 21, 1925, with a verdict of guilty, and Scopes was fined $100 (). The case was appealed to the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of Tennessee. The Supreme Court's three buildings are seated in Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson, Tennessee. The Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, and four justice ...

. In a 3–1 decision written by Chief Justice

Grafton Green Grafton Green (August 12, 1872 – January 27, 1947) was an American jurist who served on the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1910 to 1947, including more than 23 years as chief justice.William Kinsey Hutchinson "I didn't violate the law," explaining that he had skipped the evolution lesson and that his lawyers had coached his students to testify; the Dayton businessmen had assumed that he had violated the law. Hutchinson did not file his story until after the Scopes appeal was decided in 1927. In 1955, the trial was fictionalized as a play titled '' Inherit The Wind'' featuring

Paul Muni Paul Muni (born Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund; September 22, 1895 – August 25, 1967) was an American stage and film actor from Chicago. He started his acting career in the Yiddish theater and during the 1930s, he was considered one of ...

as a character based on Clarence Darrow and

Ed Begley Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) an ...

as a character based on William Jennings Bryan. In 1960, a movie version of the play featured

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the ...

as the Darrow character and

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, page 95. As ...

as the Bryan character. Both the play and the movie change the facts substantially. For example, the character of Bertram Cates is shown being arrested in class, put in jail, burned in effigy by frenzied, mean-spirited, and ignorant townspeople, and taunted by a preacher. The character of Matthew Harrison Brady, an almost comical fanatic, dramatically dies of a "busted belly" while attempting to deliver his summation in a chaotic courtroom. None of these incidents happened in Dayton, Tennessee during the trial.

Life after the trial

The results of the Scopes Trial affected Scopes professionally and personally. His public image was mocked by animation, cartoons and other media during the succeeding years. Scopes himself largely shunned publicity. During September 1925, he enrolled in the graduate school of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

to finish his studies of

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

. Evidence of harassment by the press was mentioned by Frank Thorne: "You may be interested to know that Mr. John T. Scopes of anti-evolution trial fame expects to take up the study of geology as a graduate student of Chicago this fall…Please do what you can to protect him from the importunities of Chicago reporters….He is a modest and unassuming young chap, and has been subjected to a great deal more limelight than he likes." A year later, the Tennessee Supreme Court decision of 1926 prompted the press to pursue Scopes again. During this time, he wrote to Thorne, "I am tired of fooling with them". It is evident that the media's attention was affecting Scopes emotionally. Even worse, the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

affected his career. After his graduation, he was "barred" from career opportunities in Tennessee, forcing him and his wife to relocate to his childhood home in Kentucky in about 1930. Having failed in education, Scopes attempted to build a political career and he began an unsuccessful bid as a candidate of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

for the U.S. House of Representatives for Kentucky's only at-large congressional campaign, during 1932. Eventually Scopes worked as an oil expert for the United Production Corporation, later known as the

United Gas Corporation United Gas Corporation was a major oil company from its inception in 1930 to its hostile takeover and subsequent forced merger with Pennzoil in 1968.United Gas Corp. v. Pennzoil Co., 248 F.Supp. 449 (S.D.N.Y. 1965) http://www.leagle.com/decision/ ...

. There, he first worked in

Beeville, Texas Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, Bee County, Texas, United States. Its population of 13,543 at the 2020 census makes it the 207th-largest city in Texas. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend Co ...

, then, he worked in the company's

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

office until 1940, and later, he worked in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he stayed until his death. United Gas merged into what was

Pennzoil Pennzoil is an American motor oil brand currently owned by Shell plc. The former Pennzoil Company had been established in 1913 in Pennsylvania, being active in business as an independent firm until it was acquired by Shell in 2002, becoming a bra ...

during 1968. Scopes attended the 1960 premiere of '' Inherit The Wind'' and he also participated in the celebration of John T. Scopes Day. Scopes and the story of his trial were featured in an episode of the television game show ''

To Tell The Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

'' on October 10, 1960.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
In June 1967, Scopes wrote ''Center of the Storm: Memoirs of John T. Scopes''. The Butler Act was repealed that same year.

Personal life and death

Scopes married Mildred Elizabeth Scopes (née Walker) (1905–1990). Together they had two sons. He died of cancer on October 21, 1970, in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

at the age of 70.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scopes, John Thomas 1900 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American geologists Schoolteachers from Tennessee Socialist Party of America politicians from Kentucky Converts to Roman Catholicism People from Marion County, Illinois People from Paducah, Kentucky People from Rhea County, Tennessee People from Danville, Illinois Scopes Trial University of Chicago alumni University of Kentucky alumni People from Salem, Illinois Writers from Kentucky Deaths from cancer in Louisiana 20th-century American educators