The Scopes Trial's Principal Players

1) John Scopes: A young math and physical education teacher who did some substitute teaching work, Scopes later recalled having subbed briefly in a science class but did not think the subject of evolution ever came up in the classroom. But he had friends who convinced him to help them initiate a legal challenge to the Butler Act.

2) The ACLU: The organization had actively sought a test case to challenge restrictions on teaching evolution in the public schools, even going so far as to advertise for possible "defendants."

3) The civic leaders of Dayton, Tennessee: Business leaders, looking for ways to revitalize the local economy, encouraged Scopes to take up the ACLU's offer to participate in a staged mock trial. They hoped the national attention the trial would bring would be good for business. Local prosecutors agreed to go along.

4) William Jennings Bryan: Populist politician, progressive icon, accomplished orator, three-time unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the United States presidency, and secretary of state in the Wilson administration. Bryan caught wind of the trial plans and volunteered to assist the prosecution. His personal interest in the case was his dismay over the way Darwinism had been used to justify unbridled capitalism and militarism. But he was not very knowledgeable regarding the scientific merits of the theory. The involvement of such a prominent national figure significantly elevated the political theater of the event.

5) Clarence Darrow: One of the leading trial lawyers in the country, Darrow was also an accomplished speaker who routinely lectured as a religious agnostic (a lawyer version of Thomas Huxley, in other words). He was fresh off the notorious Leopold and Loeb murder trial in Chicago in which he had argued the defendents should not be held responsible for their actions due to their lack of free will. He was brought in as lead counsel for the defense.

6) H. L. Mencken: The trial quickly became a media circus, which at the time meant newspapers and the "new-fangled" technology of radio. Dayton was overrun with reporters. The most famous figure was Mencken, a columnist for the Baltimore Evening Sun and a renowned curmudgeon, misanthrope, and religious skeptic. Interestingly, the Evening Sun helped underwrite Scopes's defense.