The John Scopes Trial In July of 1925, the Scopes trial began and made history for teachers. Also known as the Monkey Trial, it came about because of John Scopes', a 24-year-old biology teacher, violation of the Butler Act. The Butler Act was a state law in Tennessee forbidding the teaching of theories that denied the story of creation as stated in the bible in public schools or universities in Tennessee that is funded by the state. Any teacher found doing so would be fined $100-$500. The Butler Act came about by a farmer who served on state legislature and said that the na