who was john scopes lawyer

Who was John Scopes and what did he do?

Apr 02, 2014 · On July 10, 1925, Scopes appeared in a Dayton courtroom to stand trial. He was represented by one of the most famous lawyers of the time, Clarence Darrow. On the opposing side, former presidential...

Who are the lawyers in the Scopes Trial?

May 15, 2020 · Representing Scopes was the famed trial lawyer Clarence Darrow. Slick and sophisticated, Darrow epitomized the urban society in which he lived. The prosecution was led by William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate and former secretary of state. Subsequently, question is, what was the main significance of the trial of John T Scopes? John …

Who was the defense counsel for John T Scopes?

The Scopes defense team included Clarence Darrow and Dudley Field Malone (1882-1950), who served as assistant defense attorney for Scopes. Malone proved during the course of the trial that his presence on the defense team was indispensable. Date: 1925: Place: Dayton (Tenn.) Collection Name: Library Collection: Education Tags: US.38 Scopes Trial The 1920s

Was John Scopes found guilty or innocent?

John Scopes John Scopes The defense found the ideal defendant in the person of twenty-four-year-old John Thomas Scopes. Defense lawyer Arthur Garfield Hays said of Dayton’s popular new general science teacher and football coach, “Had we sought to find a defendant to present the issue, we could not improved upon the individual.”

What was John Scopes charged with?

On May 5, 1925 a twenty-five year old science teacher and football coach named John Scopes was arrested at Rhea County High School in Dayton, Tennessee and charged with violating the state's Butler Act. This law prohibited public school teachers from discussing evolution with their students. He was tried in a case formally known as State of Tennessee vs. John Scopes, but the press called it the Scopes Monkey Trial.

Did Scopes teach evolution?

After the trial was over, Scopes told a reporter that he never actually taught the theory of evolution. He said that he made the story up to help out the ACLU. Scopes told them that his lawyer had coached his students to pretend that he gave a lecture on evolution. He gave an interview where he was quoted as saying: 'I furnished the body to sit in the defendant's chair.' After the ordeal was over, he never returned to teaching.

Where did John Scopes go to high school?

John Scopes came to Dayton, Tennessee after graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1924, when the man who served as Rhea County High School’s principal, football coach, and algebra and physics teacher suddenly resigned in late summer.

Who was Thomas' wife?

Thomas and his wife, Mary, insisted that their children read literature and philosophy—and quizzed them regularly on their readings. They were especially proud of their fifth child, John, whom Thomas called “an extraordinary boy.”.

Did Scopes teach evolution?

Scopes answered, “Yes,” then went on to explain that, while substituting for the regular biology teacher in April 1925, he had assigned his students Hunter’s chapter on evolution. Illness the next day, however, kept him home and, to his recollection, no class discussion of the evolution materials ever took place.

What was the Scopes trial?

John Scopes. What became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial began as a publicity stunt for the town of Dayton, Tennessee. A local businessman met with the school superintendent and a lawyer to discuss using the ACLU offer to get newspapers to write about the town.

What was the purpose of the Scopes trial?

The trial was viewed as an opportunity to challenge the constitutionality of the bill, to publicly advocate for the legitimacy of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and to enhance the profile of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

How did the trial day start?

The trial day started with crowds pouring into the courthouse two hours before it was scheduled to begin , filling up the room and causing onlookers to spill into the hallways. There was applause when Bryan entered the court and further when he and Darrow shook hands.

When did the grand jury meet?

The grand jury met on May 9, 1925. In preparation, Scopes recruited and coached students to testify against him. Three of the seven students attending were called to testify, each showing a sketchy understanding of evolution. The case was pushed forward and a trial set for July 10.

Who was Clarence Darrow?

Clarence Darrow – a famous attorney who had recently acted for the defense in the notorious Leopold and Loeb murder trial – found out about the Scopes trial through journalist H.L. Mencken, who suggested Darrow should defend Scopes.

What was the Butler Act?

It was to a packed courthouse on Monday that arguments began by the defense working to establish the scientific validity of evolution, while the prosecution focused on the Butler Act as an education standard for Tennessee citizens, citing precedents.

Who gave expert testimony on the evolution of the human body?

Witnesses followed, establishing that Scopes had taught evolution and zoologist Maynard M. Metcalf gave expert testimony about the science of evolution, a signal that Scopes himself would not take the stand during the trial. Subsequent days saw prosecutors argue about the validity of using expert witnesses.

What was the Scopes trial?

John Thomas Scopes and commonly referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was an American legal case in July 1925 in which a high school teacher, John T. Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee 's Butler Act, which had made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any ...

How much was Scopes fined?

Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (equivalent to $1,500 in 2020), but the verdict was overturned on a technicality. The trial served its purpose of drawing intense national publicity, as national reporters flocked to Dayton to cover the big-name lawyers who had agreed to represent each side.

Why did the ACLU oppose the Butler Act?

The ACLU had originally intended to oppose the Butler Act on the grounds that it violated the teacher's individual rights and academic freedom , and was therefore unconstitutional. Principally because of Clarence Darrow, this strategy changed as the trial progressed. The earliest argument proposed by the defense once the trial had begun was that there was actually no conflict between evolution and the creation account in the Bible; later, this viewpoint would be called theistic evolution. In support of this claim, they brought in eight experts on evolution. But other than Dr. Maynard Metcalf, a zoologist from Johns Hopkins University, the judge would not allow these experts to testify in person. Instead, they were allowed to submit written statements so their evidence could be used at the appeal. In response to this decision, Darrow made a sarcastic comment to Judge Raulston (as he often did throughout the trial) on how he had been agreeable only on the prosecution's suggestions. Darrow apologized the next day, keeping himself from being found in contempt of court.

Who was William Jennings Bryan?

On the seventh day of the trial, Clarence Darrow took the unorthodox step of calling William Jennings Bryan, counsel for the prosecution, to the stand as a witness in an effort to demonstrate that belief in the historicity of the Bible and its many accounts of miracles was unreasonable.

What was the Dayton trial?

The trial escalated the political and legal conflict in which strict creationists and scientists struggled over the teaching of evolution in Arizona and California science classes. Before the Dayton trial only the South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Kentucky legislatures had dealt with anti-evolution laws or riders to educational appropriations bills.

How long did the confrontation between Bryan and Darrow last?

The confrontation between Bryan and Darrow lasted approximately two hours on the afternoon of the seventh day of the trial. It is likely that it would have continued the following morning but for Judge Raulston's announcement that he considered the whole examination irrelevant to the case and his decision that it should be "expunged" from the record. Thus Bryan was denied the chance to cross-examine the defense lawyers in return, although after the trial Bryan would distribute nine questions to the press to bring out Darrow's "religious attitude". The questions and Darrow's short answers were published in newspapers the day after the trial ended, with The New York Times characterizing Darrow as answering Bryan's questions "with his agnostic's creed, 'I don't know,' except where he could deny them with his belief in natural, immutable law".

How did the Scopes trial affect science?

Though often portrayed as influencing public opinion against fundamentalism , the victory was not complete. Though the ACLU had taken on the trial as a cause, in the wake of Scopes' conviction they were unable to find more volunteers to take on the Butler law and, by 1932, had given up. The anti-evolutionary legislation was not challenged again until 1965, and in the meantime, William Jennings Bryan's cause was taken up by a number of organizations, including the Bryan Bible League and the Defenders of the Christian Faith.

Overview

Dayton, Tennessee

• John Scopes' arrest became national news. A famous defense lawyer named Clarence Darrow volunteered to represent Scopes. The former Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, was the lawyer for the opposing side. During the trial, Darrow called Bryan to the stand to serve as an expert witness on the Bible. Darrow asked him if he thought that everything in the Bible should b…

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Origins

Proceedings

Appeal to the Supreme Court of Tennessee

Aftermath

Publicity

Courthouse