--- title: Scopes Monkey Trial: The Historic Trial That Began 90 Years Ago description: The case against teacher John Scopes was a turning point for the acceptance of teaching evolution in schools canonical: https://time.com/3952775/scopes-monkey-trial-1925/ author: Victor Luckerson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-10T14:48:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:02:33.883Z article:section: History og:title: Scopes Monkey Trial: The Historic Trial That Began 90 Years Ago og:description: The case against teacher John Scopes was a turning point for the acceptance of teaching evolution in schools og:url: https://time.com/3952775/scopes-monkey-trial-1925/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt239e83eb4a05ad73/69885a64e53aba9c944de8cc/john-thomas-scopes-monkey-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: John T. Scopes Monkey Trial og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scopes Monkey Trial: The Historic Trial That Began 90 Years Ago twitter:description: The case against teacher John Scopes was a turning point for the acceptance of teaching evolution in schools twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt239e83eb4a05ad73/69885a64e53aba9c944de8cc/john-thomas-scopes-monkey-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Remembering the Scopes Monkey Trial on Its 90th Anniversary by [Victor Luckerson](https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Jul 10, 2015 2:48 PM UTC  Attorney Clarence Darrow consults with Judge Raulston about procedure in the Tennessee courts during the trial of John T. Scopes. Attorney Clarence Darrow consults with Judge Raulston about procedure in the Tennessee courts during the trial of John T. Scopes.New York Daily News/Getty Images by [Victor Luckerson](https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Jul 10, 2015 2:48 PM UTC Today the theory of evolution is taught in schools across the United States, but that wasn’t the case when teacher John Thomas Scopes went on trial for teaching it to his high school students in Tennessee. In March of 1925, the state had passed a law banning the teaching of evolution because it conflicted with the story of creation in Bible. Scopes’ case was brought to court on July 10—precisely 90 years ago Friday—in what came to be known as the “[Scopes Monkey Trial](http://time.com/vault/issue/1925-07-20/page/19/),” one of the most famous trials in U.S. history. Three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan argued for the prosecution, seeking to prove that Scopes had violated the law. As [TIME reported](http://time.com/3602563/education-dixit/) that year, Bryan—who died shortly after the trial ended—had planned for his closing remarks of the trial to be his “greatest speech.” The speech wasn’t actually given during the trial due to legal maneuvering by the defense, but he delivered it to the public after the fact. It included passages like this: --- > “” --- Scopes ended up losing the case and was charged a $100 fine, though the verdict was later overturned on a technicality. But the real star of the trial was Clarence Darrow, Scopes’ skilled lawyer, who poked numerous holes in Bryan’s argument and fundamentalist theory in general. The case marked a turning point in the way evolution was taught in schools and more widely acknowledged in the U.S. After it was all over, TIME compared the trial to the examination of Socrates in ancient Greece: --- > “” --- **_Read TIME’s full 1925 post-mortem on the Scopes trial, free of charge, here in the TIME archives:_** [Dixit](http://time.com/3602563/education-dixit/) ### See the Human Body Under a Microscope  Adrenaline crystals (polarized light micrographs) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Balancing stone from inner ear (colored scanning electron micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Blood clot (colored scanning electron micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Breast cancer (light micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Insulin crystals (polarized light micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Melatonin crystals (polarized light micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Penicillium fungus (colored scanning electron micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Serotonin crystals (polarized light micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Vaginal cancer cells (colored scanning electron micrograph) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited  Ventolin crystals (colred scanning electron micrographs) Reprinted with permission from Science is Beautiful © 2014 by Batsford, an imprint of Pavilion Books Company Limited ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3952775/scopes-monkey-trial-1925/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3952775/scopes-monkey-trial-1925/"},"headline":"Remembering the Scopes Monkey Trial on Its 90th Anniversary","datePublished":"2015-07-10T14:48:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:33.883Z","description":"It was a turning point for the acceptance of evolution","url":"https://time.com/3952775/scopes-monkey-trial-1925/","keywords":["Law","Evolution"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt239e83eb4a05ad73/69885a64e53aba9c944de8cc/john-thomas-scopes-monkey-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Victor Luckerson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt239e83eb4a05ad73/69885a64e53aba9c944de8cc/john-thomas-scopes-monkey-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"John T. 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