Was teaching evolution in schools legal in 1925 Tennessee?

Historical Background

In 1925, Tennessee found itself at the center of a nationally watched debate over whether it was permissible to teach human evolution in public schools. The period was marked by sharp contrasts in societal viewpoints: on one side were those who supported a biblical account of creation, grounded in the belief that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), and on the other side were scholars and educators who promoted Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Multiple factors set the stage for a legislative response, including the growing presence of academic materials that supported evolutionary theory and the relatively new public-school presence of biology textbooks that embraced Darwinian concepts. These cultural shifts precipitated a legal prohibition in Tennessee’s education system.

The Butler Act

Central to the question of legality was the Butler Act, a Tennessee law passed and signed by Governor Austin Peay on March 21, 1925. Officially titled “An Act prohibiting the teaching of the Evolution Theory in all the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of Tennessee,” it specifically forbade public-school instructors from teaching “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.”

Because the law’s wording explicitly mentioned the biblical narrative, it positioned itself as a legislative move to defend a literal understanding of creation—a perspective that aligns with passages such as Exodus 20:11: “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” Those who breached this law could face fines ranging from USD100 to USD500.

The Scopes Trial

Shortly after its passage, the Butler Act encountered a direct test when John T. Scopes, a high school teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was persuaded by local community members to challenge the law. Authorities charged Scopes in May 1925, leading to the celebrated “Scopes Monkey Trial” in July of the same year. The trial pitted the renowned orator William Jennings Bryan, who advocated for the law, against high-profile defense attorney Clarence Darrow.

Scopes was found guilty and fined USD100, although the conviction was later overturned on a technicality by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Yet the substance of the prohibition remained intact. The high-profile coverage of the case exposed significant rhetorical conflict over whether scientific curricula should accommodate or reject evolutionary theory—in essence, reflecting the broader discussion of creation versus evolution.

Cultural and Religious Climate

Tension existed between modernist and fundamentalist segments of society. Many in the state held to a literal reading of Genesis, based on biblical statements such as, “So God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). They felt deeply that endorsing Darwinian evolution contradicted the authority demonstrating God as sole Creator. They insisted that any teachings suggesting life evolved from lower forms were incompatible with the biblical narrative and therefore were a moral and educational threat.

However, progressive voices believed that academic freedom and scientific inquiry demanded the exploration of evolutionary concepts. Media outlets—local and national—critical of restrictive mandates framed the Butler Act as overly censorious, questioning the viability of restricting classroom discussion of widely held scientific perspectives.

Scriptural Alignment

Believers and biblical scholars often cite that the harmonious nature of Scripture speaks consistently to God’s purposeful and direct involvement in creating all life forms. The record of creation in Genesis 1 underscores God’s sovereignty, stating more than once: “And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds…’” (Genesis 1:24). The foundation of such passages serves as the continuing basis for those who argue that creation should remain central in school teachings, particularly in regions favoring a literal six-day model supported by genealogical timelines.

Legal Consequences in 1925

Since the Butler Act was passed in 1925, it legally prohibited teaching evolution in Tennessee’s public schools. Any educator who introduced that concept risked penalties, resulting in the direct conclusion that, at least under state law, it indeed was not legal to teach evolution in those institutions. Enforcement was not uniform statewide, but the law explicitly established the illegality of presenting Darwin’s theory as factual in a Tennessee public classroom context.

Lasting Influence

The Scopes trial drew national attention and fueled ongoing discussions about academic freedom, the role of religious convictions in public institutions, and the interplay between faith and science. In later decades, the Butler Act remained on the books until it was finally repealed in 1967. Yet the legacy of 1925 endures in debates about curriculum decisions, citizens’ rights, and the means by which educators navigate sum-of-knowledge topics in science and religion.

The core question—Was teaching evolution in schools legal in 1925 Tennessee?—finds a clear historical answer: No, it was prohibited by state law. The Scopes trial became the galvanizing illustration of that prohibition in action and spurred ongoing nationwide reflection on how best to handle teachings that some regarded as contradictory to the plain reading of Scripture.