Which 1925 trial debated the legality of teaching human evolution in public schools?

• A. Scopes Trial
• B. Monkey Trial
• C. Evolution Trial
• D. Creationism Trial

Answer: (A)

This question centers on the 1920s battle over whether public schools could teach human evolution, a clash between science and religious fundamentalism in American life. The 1925 Tennessee law, the Butler Act, made it unlawful to teach human evolution in public schools, setting up a test case to challenge that prohibition. The trial that emerged from this dispute—held in Dayton, Tennessee—became a national spectacle: John T. Scopes was accused of teaching Darwin’s theory in violation of the act, with Clarence Darrow defending Scopes and William Jennings Bryan prosecuting. Scopes was found guilty and fined, though the verdict was later overturned on a technicality. This case, commonly called the Scopes Monkey Trial, has endured as a symbol of the era’s debate between modern science and religious fundamentalism.

Other labels you might hear—like the Monkey Trial—refer to the same event but aren’t the formal name; the terms “Evolution Trial” or “Creationism Trial” aren’t the standard historical references for this case.