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William Jennings Bryan, you should recall, resigned as Secretary of State under President Wilson because Bryan was morally opposed to Americans entering American involvement in World War I. After the war, Bryan toured Europe and kept asking himself: what caused this enormous inhumanity by mankind? World War I was by far the most brutal and atrocious war in the history of the world, with unspeakable slaughter of human life which included chemical warfare. Bryan did some soul-searching and wondered how it was possible that men would do this to each other.

Upon his return to the United States, Bryan felt a calling to prevent the spread of this misguided theory to American. He supported State laws against teaching, to impressionable children in school, that man had evolved from lower life forms. Tennessee had such a law, and banning the ACLU challenged it in the name teaching of schoolteacher John Scopes. William Jennings Bryan offered his formidable legal talents to the State theory of Tennessee to defend the law. The ACLU retained Clarence Darrow, the leading criminal defense attorney and believer human evolution in evolutionpublic school. This became the legal fight of the century, Darrow (and Darwin) v. Bryan.

So many people flocked In 1925, The ACLU defended schoolteacher John Scopes against enforcement of the law. William Jennings Bryan offered his formidable legal talents to watch the trial that it was often held outside State of Tennessee to defend the courthouse in Dayton, Tennesseelaw. An atheist (and bigot) H.L. MenckenThe ACLU retained Clarence Darrow, the leading journalist of criminal defense attorney and himself a believer in evolution. This became the first half legal fight of the 20th century, traveled from Baltimore to give his "spin" (bias reporting) on what happened. Mencken's account misled the world into thinking that Darrow (and Darwin) had wonv. In fact, the opposite occurred: Bryan won, Darrow's client Scopes was convicted, and the Tennessee law remained in effect for nearly another 50 years. Tennessee has remained conservative to this day; Tennessee voted against its own liberal resident Al Gore for President in 2000, giving George W. Bush the national election, and in 2008 presidential candidate John McCain defeated Barack Obama by 15 percentage points there, despite Obama winning by 7 points nationwide.

Bryan and the State of Tennessee objected So many people flocked to watch the textbook being used by Scopes in trial that it was often held outside the public school courthouse in the town of Dayton, Tennessee. The textbook taught that An atheist (and bigot) H.L. Mencken, the Piltdown Man was leading journalist of the first half of the 20th century, traveled from Baltimore to give his "missing linkspin" proving (biased reporting) on what happened. Mencken's account misled the world into thinking that man Darrow (and Darwin) had somehow evolved from apeswon. Years later In fact, the Piltdown Man opposite occurred: Bryan won, Darrow's client Scopes was proven to be a complete fraud perpetrated by evolutionistsconvicted, and the Tennessee law remained in effect for nearly another 50 years. The textbook was also racist in teaching that whites had evolved Tennessee has remained conservative to a higher life form than blacksthis day; Tennessee voted against its own liberal resident Al Gore for President in 2000, giving George W. Bush the national election, and in 2008 presidential candidate John McCain defeated Barack Obama by 15 percentage points there, despite Obama winning by 7 points nationwide.

=== Details of the Trial === Bryan and the State of Tennessee objected to the textbook being used by Scopes in the public school in the town of Dayton. The textbook taught that the falsehood that the Piltdown Man was the "missing link" proving that man had somehow evolved from apes. Years later the Piltdown Man was proven to be a complete fraud perpetrated by evolutionists. The textbook was also racist in teaching that whites had evolved to a higher life form than blacks. The climax of the trial occurred when Bryan agreed to take the witness stand himself (which is unusual for an attorney) in order to answer Darrow's best questions, provided that if Darrow likewise took the witness stand to answer Bryan's questions. Darrow agreed, and Bryan took the witness stand before a huge audience that gathered to hear perhaps one of the greatest orator finest orators in American history.

The jury then deliberated for only 9 minutes, which is probably a record. It found Darrow's client guilty and ordered him to pay a fine of $100, which was eliminated on a technicality on appeal.<ref>The Tennessee Constitution had a clause that any fine that high ($100 was a lot of money in 1925) must be set by a jury, not by the judge. The state's Supreme Court vacated the verdict due to that, and then ruled that because Scopes no longer lived in the state, the case was moot.</ref>