The Scopes Trial Centennial
The Legacy of This Landmark Case 100 Years Later
Join our College of Arts and Sciences Student Ambassador Anna Kate Paris as she explores the captivating history and lasting legacy of the Scopes Trial.
The Scopes Trial Centennial at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was a year-long program marking 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.
Scopes Trial Centennial events included Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Inherit the Wind (February 14–March 2, 2025), the 1955 play that portrays a fictionalized version of the trial.
The program also showcased 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 addressed issues of religion and science, American history, evolution, eugenics, journalism, and related topics.
The Scopes Trial Centennial was organized by the UT College of Arts and Sciences 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, 4:30 – 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
More details
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
Of Monkeys and Men: The Scopes Trial Exhibit and Research Guide
Starting January 21, 2025, Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, 121 Hodges Library
Naturalist Club Photo Gallery – Reception
January 27, 2025, 1:00 – 3:00 P.M., Mary Greer room in Hodges Library
Catherine Schuman: Evolution and Computing
January 29, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building 307
Seminar by Dr. Christina Riehl: Evolution of social behavior in birds
February 7, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building 307
The Association for Creative Zoology
February 11, 2025, 12:00 – 5:00 P.M., Clarence Brown Theatre Lobby
Pamela Soltis: Polyploid Evolution: Integration across scales and biological systems
February 12, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building 307
Inherit the Wind
February 12-March 2, 2025, Times Vary, Clarence Brown Theatre
Ed Larson: The Scopes Trial in History and Folklore
February 13, 2025, 5:30 – 6:30 P.M., Student Union 262
Darwin Day at the McClung Museum
February 23, 2025, Frank H. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture
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
Academic Freedom and the Scopes Trial
February 26, 2025, 5:00 P.M., UT College of Law, Room 132
A Lecture by Banu Subramanian: “Scope(ing) Darwin’s Entangled Banks: Plant Worlds and the Afterlives of Empire“
March 3, 2025, 4:00 – 5:00 P.M., McClung Tower 1215
John R. Neal and the Scopes Trial
March 24, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 P.M., College of Law Room 132
Charles Israel: Before Scopes: Evangelicals, Education and Evolution in Tennessee, 1870-1925
March 25, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 P.M., College of Law
Matthew Sutton: The Scopes Trial and the Rise of Evangelical Politics
March 27, 2025, 5:00 – 6:00 P.M., Mossman 102
Paul A. Lombardo: “Apes, Men & Morons”: Evolution, Eugenics, and the Scopes Trial
March 31, 2025, 7:30 – 9:30 P.M., Strong Hall B1
Menno Schilthuizen: “Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution”
April 7, 2025, 3:30 – 5:00 P.M., Student Union 169
Jessica Ware: Dragonflies and damselflies: genomics, systematics and evolution
May 5, 2025, 12:40 – 1:30 P.M., Science and Engineering Building
Monkey Town
May 8, 2025, 5:00 – 7:00 P.M., Gallery 1010
News
- Scopes Trial Centennial Celebration
The Scopes Trial Centennial The Legacy of This Landmark Case 100 Years Later Join our College of Arts and Sciences… Read more: Scopes Trial Centennial Celebration - Happy Birthday, Darwin
UT Knoxville faculty and students share science and history to celebrate Darwin Day. Biologist Charles Darwin would be 216 years-old… Read more: Happy Birthday, Darwin - “Yes, And” for Science
A group of UT Knoxville faculty and communications staff engaged in a unique workshop in January that found them applying… Read more: “Yes, And” for Science