Friday, August 08, 2025

Tennessee v. Scopes at 100

The Scopes 'Monkey' Trial, as it has been known, took place 100 years ago this July in Dayton, Tennessee. There have been many reflections recently on what was known as "the trial of the century".

National Public Radio has aired several programs about the trial. 

  • WBUR in Boston's On Point has this. 46min. 40 sec. transcript available
  • Science Friday has this, with a link to a document they have prepared "...Educational Resources On Evolution". 18 min. 
  • All Things Considered has this. 4 min. 49 sec., transcript available.

Fox News too has a short piece here.

Two longer videos present much more about the questions raised in 1925. 

The most scholarly is Monkey Trials and Modern Truths: Revisiting the Scopes Trial 100 Years Later, organised by The Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. 1 hour 12 min. no transcript.

Another, produced by a local Tennessee television channel, WBIR, has extensive interviews with two men of Dayton, Tennessee who participate in a presentation of the trial every year by the Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation who add many local details. 55 min. subtitles available, but MANY transcription mistakes, for instance with the names of the two lawyers - Bryan and Darrow. A shorter version of this story, by the same local television channel, can be found here. 4 min. 15 sec. The subtitles are much better. 

Vanderbilt Law School organised a talk on the subject of "Understanding the Scopes Trial 100 Years Later". 1 hour, no transcript.