Ep. 200: Tennessee v. Scopes

The latest exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum, “Eight Days in Dayton: 100 Years of the Scopes Trial,” will be on display June 24–October 12, 2025. It offers a rich, immersive journey through the State of Tennessee v. John T. Scopes, one of the most iconic legal and cultural events in American history. In this episode, the museum’s chief curator, Richard White, and K-12 education manager, Christopher Grisham, share details about the trial, discuss what makes this such a pivotal moment in Tennessee history, and take listeners behind the scenes of the planning and implementation of the exhibit and the educational tools that accompany it. The exhibit centers on the 1925 Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, where John T. Scopes, a Dayton high school teacher, was prosecuted under Tennessee’s Butler Act for teaching human evolution—a law that prohibited denying biblical creation in public schools. Framed as a challenge to the constitutionality of the law, the trial was staged to ignite both legal and social debate over science versus religion. At the time, it was considered the trial of the century. The exhibit brings the courtroom battles to life and features photographs, tintypes, daguerreotypes, and enlarged press images of Scopes, Darrow, Bryan, and the Dayton community. Visitors will also find authentic courtroom furnishings from the trial, alongside the original microphone used for live radio transmission, the biology textbook Scopes used to teach evolution at Rhea County High School and the table and chairs from Robinson's Drugstore where local civic and business leaders met in May 1925 to hatch the idea of challenging the Butler Act in court. Archival trial documents and an engaging audiovisual history guide visitors through the unfolding drama and its aftermath. This episode is brought to you by The Citizens Bank.