,The Scopes Monkey Trial was an American legal case which was the first to put evolution before a jury in 192 The trial arose out of a Tennessee law that made it a crime to teach any theory that denied the Biblical account of Creationism in public schools. The defendant, John Thomas Scopes, was a high school teacher accused of teaching evolution in violation of the law.
Scopes was charged and found guilty of the violation. He was fined $100, however, the outcome of the trial was overturned by an appeals court.
The Scopes monkey trial captured the attention of the nation, setting off a debate that continues today over religion’s place in the public school system.