THE Butler lawwho was introduced by the member of the House of Representatives TennesseeJohn Washington Butler, signed on March 21, 1925 and banned the teachers and teachers of the public schools of all levels and universities, to refuse to tell the Genesis (the first book of the Old Testament) on the origin of mankind. Motivated by comments of students who read in the newspapers, according to which when they returned from school they claimed to their parents that Bible It is a fairy tale and says nonsense, butler, a farmer in the profession, decided to find out about the theory of evolution. After studying, William Jennings Brian’s lecture, “Is the Bible true?“And the”The origin of the species of Charles Darwin“, He considered that the teaching of evolution was dangerous.
This law predicted that it would be illegal for any professor or teacher at a university or school of the state supported in its entirety or in part by the state, to teach Any theory that denies the divine creation of manas it is mentioned in the Bible and instead teaching that man has evolved from a lower class of animals. In addition, he described that the offender would be guilty of misdemeanor and would be punished with fine of 100 to $ 500 for each infringement. It is interesting, however, that it was not illegal to teach the theory of evolution of animals, such as monkeys, or the mechanisms of mutation and physical choice. The bill also did not affect, nor did it limit, Teaching the then dominant scientific theories of geology or data on Earth’s age. The question for Butler was exclusively to ban the teaching of human evolution.
The law was challenged by Professor John Skops, who accepted the accusation of teaching the theory of evolution to man.
The law was challenged in the trial of Skobs, which had attracted the interest of the world. THE John Skobesa professor of science in high school, accepted the accusation that he taught his students the theory of evolution and man. He was given a nominal arrest warrant on May 5, 1925, followed by his trial. During the trial, Butler told reporters that he never believed that this law would provoke reactions and that he would be in the spotlight in this way; on the contrary, he believed that everyone would simply follow him and no reference to the theory of evolution.
Eventually, the law would remain in force until 1967. That year, teacher Gary Scott from Tennessee’s Jacksboro, who had been fired for violating the law, He filed a lawsuit to his place, citing his right to freedom of speech. Although his complaint was eventually annulled, Scott continued his fight at the Nashville Federal Regional Court, calling for a permanent decision against this law. After that, within three days, a bill was passed on the abolition of the Butler law by both Tennessee’s legislative bodies. The new law was signed on May 18 of the same year by Governor Baford Ellington.
Column: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigoni-Despina Poumenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
