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Scopes Trial
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Attorney Clarence Darrow and politician William Jennings Bryan sit at a table in a crowded courtroom during the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee. Joe Mendi, a chimpanzee, sits dressed in a plaid suit, fedora, and white spats, holding a cane and a pennant reading Dayton, Tenn. with mouth open wide. Christian fundamentalism
A human hand and a gorilla's hand both reach for a gavel, against a blue-tinted background image of a courtroom.
Scopes Trial John T. Scopes stands with his hands behind his back in a crowded courtroom during his sentencing in Dayton, Tennessee, with seated spectators in the background. Inherit the Wind
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Attorney Clarence Darrow and politician William Jennings Bryan sit at a table in a crowded courtroom during the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee.
Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan The United States' most well-known criminal defense lawyer, Clarence Darrow, faced off against one of the country's most prominent Christian fundamentalists, William Jennings Bryan, during the Scopes Trial, July 10–21, 1925.

Scopes Trial

law case
Also known as: Monkey Trial, Scopes Monkey Trial
Written by
Mindy Johnston
Mindy Spitzer Johnston is Managing Editor at Encyclopædia Britannica. 
Mindy Johnston
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Dubbed the “trial of the century,” the 1925 case of State of Tennessee v. John T. Scopes—commonly known as the Scopes Trial and derisively nicknamed the “Monkey Trial”—brought international attention to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. From July 10 to 21, in front of thousands of spectators and a national radio audience, the country’s most famous criminal defense attorney and an avowed agnostic, Clarence Darrow, faced off against three-time presidential nominee and Christian fundamentalist...

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