On May 4, 1925, a Chattanooga newspaper ran an item noting that the American Civil Liberties Union was seeking teachers willing to challenge the Butler law. The item said that the ACLU was “looking for a Tennessee teacher who was willing to accept our services in testing this law in the courts.

The Butler Act, introduced in, 1925 by Tennessee Representative John Washington Butler, prohibited public school teachers from denying the book of Genesis account of mankind’s origin.

The law also prevented the teaching of the evolution of man in place of the Biblical account. Their lawyers think a friendly test case can be arranged without costing a teacher his or her job…”

The Scopes trial turned out to be one of the most sensational cases in 20th century America; it riveted public attention and made millions of Americans aware of the ACLU for the first time.

Approximately 1000 people and more than 100 newspapers packed the courtroom daily. The trial, which garnered extensive headline press coverage both nationally and internationally, was the first ever to be broadcasted live on the radio.