New Library Exhibit: The Centennial of the Scopes Trial

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center are pleased to announce a new exhibit commemorating the centennial of the Scopes Trial, drawn from the Center's preeminent Clarence Darrow Collection:

"Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100"

One of our most storied courtroom dramas, the 1925 Scopes Trial became a national sensation and the focal point of a debate over the places of evolution and religion in public education. At trial and on appeal, the defense team aimed to test the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that prohibited teaching that humans were the product of Darwinian evolution or similar theories of human descent.  

Popularly known as the Scopes “Monkey” Trial, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes is celebrated not only for the legal and cultural issues it addressed, but the lawyers who were involved. For the prosecution stood William Jennings Bryan, a three-time presidential candidate, fervent anti-evolutionist, and one of the great orators in American history. For the defense was Clarence Darrow, the most famous trial lawyer in the country and a staunch defender of individual rights. The constitutional issues raised by the case were profound, dealing directly with the freedom of religion, free speech, and due process. The trial itself culminated in a famous confrontation between Darrow and Bryan on the witness stand.

The trial did not resolve contemporary tensions between science and fundamentalist religion, but rather thrust them further into the national consciousness. Over the past century, the Scopes Trial has continued to influence public discourse about the teaching of evolution and the role of religion in public schools. For its impacts in the courtroom and classroom, the Scopes Trial remains an important chapter in American history.

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100,” commemorates the centennial of the Scopes Trial, inviting viewers to revisit the trial’s cultural context, as well as its prominent figures, issues, and legacy. The exhibit showcases the University of Minnesota Law Library’s preeminent Clarence Darrow Collection, more than 1,000 letters written by and to the great trial attorney, together with speeches, debates and other material by and about Darrow. Drawn from this collection, the exhibit features letters, books, pamphlets, cultural artifacts, and a trove of court documents from the case. 

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100” was curated by Ryan Greenwood, Sophia Charbonneau, Joy Brown, and Michael Hannon.