Tennessee State Museum

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Eight Days in Dayton: 100 Years of the Scopes Trial

The Scopes Evolution Trial, formally "The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes," was a trial that took place in Dayton, Tennessee as a challenge to the Butler Act, a law that made the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee schools illegal. The trial was dubbed "the trial of the century" at the time, with noted attorney Clarence Darrow representing Tennessee school teacher John Scopes. Another noted attorney and three-time presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan, argued the prosecution for the State of Tennessee. The trial ran from July 10 to July 21, 1925, with Scopes being found guilty and fined $100.00. The decision was eventually appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, with the verdict being overturned on a technicality. The trial was a massive national media event with reports and journalists pouring into Dayton from all over the country.

Item Selection	Available Actions	Object IDsort by Object ID ascending	Image	Synopsis
		2019.85.1		Scopes Trial Table \| table \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN
		2019.85.2		Scopes Trial Chair \| chair \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN
		2019.85.3		Scopes Trial Chair \| chair \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN
		2022.46.1.1		"William Jennings Bryan at Trial of Professor Scopes" \| photographic print \| King Features Syndicate, Inc. \| Bryan, William Jennings \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.2		"Real Starter of Evolution Battle" \| black-and-white photograph \| Butler, John Washington \| Butler Act \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.3		"Resemblance Is No Proof of Evolution" \| black-and-white photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Bryan, William Jennings \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.4		John T. Scopes \| black-and-white photograph \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.5		"Where the Argument Started" \| black-and-white photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Rappleyea, Dr. George Washington \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.6		"How It Started" \| black-and-white photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Hicks, H. E. \| Scopes, John Thomas \| White, Walter \| McKenzie, James Gordon \| Wilber, B. M. \| Haggard, Wallace Callahan \| Morgan, W. E. \| Rappleyea, Dr. George Washington \| Hicks, Sue Kerr \| Robinson, Frank Earle \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN
		2022.46.1.7		"They Helped Start Scopes Trial" \| black-and-white photograph \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Robinson, Frank Earle \| White, Walter \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.8		"Scenes in Evolution Trial" \| black-and-white photograph \| International Newsreel \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.9		"In the Town of the Evolution Trial" \| black-and-white photograph \| International Newsreel \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN \| Hotel Aqua, Dayton, TN \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.10		Darwin Relations of Dayton, Tenn. \| photograph \| Underwood and Underwood \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Darwin's Dry Goods Store \| Darwin, James (Jim) Robert
		2022.46.1.11		Clarence Seward Darrow \| photograph \| Culver Pictures, Inc. \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.12		Clarence Seward Darrow \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.13		Clarence Seward Darrow \| photograph \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.14		"Listening to the Legal Battle for Their Lives" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Leopold & Loeb \| Leopold, Jr., Nathan Freudenthal \| Loeb, Richard Albert \| Chicago, IL
		2022.46.1.15		"The Trial That Shocked the Nation" \| photograph \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Franks, Bobby \| Chicago, IL \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Leopold, Jr., Nathan Freudenthal \| Loeb, Richard Albert
		2022.46.1.16		Clarence Seward Darrow \| postcard \| Cline Advertising, Chattanooga, TN \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.17		Gov. Hiram Johnson and William J. Bryan \| photograph \| Newspaper Enterprise Association, San Francisco, CA \| Bryan, William Jennings \| United States Secretary of State \| Sacramento, CA \| Scopes Evolution Trial
		2022.46.1.18		William Jennings Bryan \| photograph \| American Press Association \| Bryan, William Jennings \| United States Secretary of State \| Scopes Evolution Trial
		2022.46.1.19		15th International Congress Against Alcoholism \| photograph \| Bryan, William Jennings \| Washington, DC \| Alcohol \| Temperance \| Prohibition
		2022.46.1.20		"Mrs. W.J. Bryan (Mary Baird Bryan) Follows Faith Healer to Georgia, Seeking Divine Cure" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Bryan, Mary Baird \| Bryan, William Jennings \| Suffrage \| Prohibition
		2022.46.1.21		"Principals in Evolution Trial" \| photograph \| International Newsreel \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Robinson, Frank Earle \| Benson, A. V. \| Raulston, J. T. \| Rappleyea, Dr. George Washington \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.22		"How it Started" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Hicks, H. E. \| Scopes, John Thomas \| White, Walter \| McKenzie, James Gordon \| Wilber, B. M. \| Haggard, Wallace Callahan \| Morgan, W. E. \| Rappleyea, Dr. George Washington \| Hicks, Sue Kerr \| Robinson, Frank Earle \| Robinson's Drug Store, Dayton, TN
		2022.46.1.23		"On Trial for Violating Tennessee's Anti-Evolution Law" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.24		Dr. John R. Neal and John T. Scopes \| photograph \| Bain News Service, New York \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Neal, Dr. John R. \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.25		"Darrow Ready to Defend Scopes in Evolution Trial" \| photograph \| International Newsreel \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.26		"Discuss Scopes Case Defense" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Malone, Dudley Field \| Neal, Dr. John R. \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Baldwin, Roger \| Bailey, Forrest \| Rappleyea, Dr. George Washington \| Rosensohn, Samuel \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.27		John Thomas Scopes \| photograph \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.28		John Thomas Scopes \| photographic print \| Harris & Ewing \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.29		Clarence Seward Darrow \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.30		"Scopes, Indicted Tennessee Teacher, Visits with Capital Friends" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Essary, J. Fred \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.31		"John T. Scopes, Young Tennessee School Teacher" \| photograph \| Harris & Ewing \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Scopes, John Thomas
		2022.46.1.32		"Main Street in Dayton, Tenn." \| photograph \| Newspaper Enterprise Association, San Francisco, CA \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.33		"Main Street, Dayton, Tennessee" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.34		"Will Be Special Prosecutor in Scopes Trial" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Hicks, H. E. \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.35		"Superintendent of Schools of Dayton, Where Monkey Law Theories Were Taught in Tennessee" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| White, Walter \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.36		"Room Where Scopes, Indicted for Violation of Tennessee Anti-Evolution Law, Taught" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Classroom \| school \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.37		"Family Tree of Man" \| photograph \| American Museum of Natural History \| Newspaper Enterprise Association, San Francisco, CA \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.38		"So This Is Dayton!" \| photograph \| Newspaper Enterprise Association, San Francisco, CA \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.39		"Clarence Darrow, Atty." \| photograph \| Newspaper Enterprise Association, San Francisco, CA \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Darrow, Clarence Seward \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.40		"Dayton, Tenn." \| photograph \| Newspaper Enterprise Association, San Francisco, CA \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.41		"Dayton, Tenn." \| photograph \| Newspaper Enterprise Association, San Francisco, CA \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.42		"Lawyers For Prosecution of Scopes" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Hicks, H. E. \| Haggard, Wallace Callahan \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.43		"Will Preside at Scopes Trial Next Month" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| McKenzie, James Gordon \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County
		2022.46.1.44		"Will Aid Scopes in Evolution Battle" \| photograph \| P and A Photos \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Lipman, J. G. \| Rutgers University
		2022.46.1.45		"Scientific Expert to Testify at 'Monkey Trial' " \| photograph \| P and A Photos \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Rice, Edward L. \| Ohio Wesleyan University
		2022.46.1.46		"Biology Teacher Looks over the Law Covering Case" \| photograph \| Underwood & Underwood, NY \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Scopes, John Thomas \| Law
		2022.46.1.47		"Dr. Charles B. Davenport, Noted Biologist" \| photograph \| Underwood and Underwood \| Scopes Evolution Trial \| Dayton, TN \| Rhea County \| Davenport, Charles B. \| Carnegie Institute

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