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The trial in 1925 of John Scopes for teaching evolution in Tennessee was a defeat of Darwinism.  The [[ACLU]] and liberal trial lawyer Clarence Darrow brought the Scopes case in the hopes of winning a public relations and legal victory, but in fact [[William Jennings Bryan]], the liberal three-time Democratic presidential candidate, decisively beat them.
 
The trial in 1925 of John Scopes for teaching evolution in Tennessee was a defeat of Darwinism.  The [[ACLU]] and liberal trial lawyer Clarence Darrow brought the Scopes case in the hopes of winning a public relations and legal victory, but in fact [[William Jennings Bryan]], the liberal three-time Democratic presidential candidate, decisively beat them.
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Note: the Scopes trial itself was important only as a public relations battle. The case was tried at the local court level, and therefore the laws that banned the teaching of evolution could not be challenged unless the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court or the Tennessee - high court? - (i forget what court you have to be in to challenge state laws please edit if you know).
      
The [[ACLU]] challenged a Tennessee statute, the Butler Act, that imposed a fine for teaching in public school that man descended from more primitive life forms.  The statute did not prohibit teaching most aspects of evolution.  The textbook at issue in the case taught eugenics, including that man supposedly descended from lower life forms and that some racial groups had evolved to more advanced levels than others.
 
The [[ACLU]] challenged a Tennessee statute, the Butler Act, that imposed a fine for teaching in public school that man descended from more primitive life forms.  The statute did not prohibit teaching most aspects of evolution.  The textbook at issue in the case taught eugenics, including that man supposedly descended from lower life forms and that some racial groups had evolved to more advanced levels than others.

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