Scopes Trial Centennial
Celebration
The Scopes Trial Centennial at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a year-long program that marks the 100th anniversary of the July 1925 trial of John Thomas Scopes. As a high-school teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, Scopes was accused of violating the state’s Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach human evolution in any public school or university.
The trial generated intense national publicity, as reporters flocked to Dayton to cover the high-profile lawyers facing each other in court. William Jennings Bryant, a three-time presidential candidate and former secretary of state, argued for the prosecution against ACLU lawyer Clarence Darrow, who served as the defense attorney for Scopes. The trial reflected a tension between religious fundamentalists and modern science that persists in America today.
The Scopes Trial Centennial program will include Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Inherit the Wind (February 14–March 2, 2025), which portrays a fictionalized version of the trial.
The program will also showcase the university’s annual Darwin Day, hosted by the McClung Museum on a Sunday afternoon the week of Darwin’s birthday in early February.
Throughout the year, a rich variety of speakers and exhibitions are being planned to address issues related to religion and science, American history, evolution, eugenics, journalism, and related topics.
The Scopes Trial Centennial is organized by the UT College of Arts and Sciences (involving all three divisions) in collaboration with the College of Communication and Information, the College of Music, the College of Law, UT Libraries, the Institute for American Civics, and the Knoxville History Project.
Historical images are from the public domain, originally taken by the Associated Press in 1925.
Events
Religion vs. Science? The Scopes Trial and Beyond
November 12, 2024, 4:00 – 5:30 P.M., John C. Hodges Library, Room 100
Simone des Roches: Conserving Intraspecific Variation for Ecosystems and People
November 13, 2024, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building
Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a Pennsylvania School Board – a discussion with Gordy Slack
November 14, 2024, 4:00 P.M., Student Union Executive Dining Room 377A
An evening with Gordon Burghardt on the Scopes Trial and Evolution in East Tennessee
November 19, 2024, 7:00 – 9:00 P.M., Student Union 262 A/B
Naturalist Club Photo Gallery
January & February 2025, Hodges Library Starbucks
Catherine Schuman: Evolution and Computing
January 29, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building 307
Darwin Day at the McClung Museum
February 5, 2025, 12:00 – 4:00 P.M., Frank H. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture
Pamela Soltis: Polyploid Evolution: Integration across scales and biological systems
February 12, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building 307
The Scopes Trial in History and Folklore
February 13, 2025, 5:30 – 6:30 P.M., Student Union 262
Sara Lipshutz: Fighting for fitness: Integrating behavioral, hormonal and neurogenomic perspectives on the evolution of female competition
February 24, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building
Before Scopes: Evangelicals, Education and Evolution in Tennessee, 1870-1925
March 25, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 P.M., College of Law
The Scopes Trial and the Rise of Fundamendalist Politics
March 27, 2025, 5:30 – 6:30 P.M., Student Union 262
“Apes, Men & Morons”: Evolution, Eugenics, and the Scopes Trial
March 31, 2025, 7:30 – 9:30 P.M., Strong Hall B1
Jessica Ware: Dragonflies and damselflies: genomics, systematics and evolution
May 5, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building