- HELLO.
TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL.
[slurping]
1925, IN DAYTON, TENNESSEE.
AND THE ECONOMY WAS TANKING.
GEORGE RAPPLEYEA WAS A LAWYER.
ONE DAY HE SAW AN OPEN LETTER IN THE NEWSPAPER.
- THE ACLU, WHICH IS A NEW ORGANIZATION,
OFFERS TO REPRESENT ANY TEACHER
THAT WANTS TO CHALLENGE THE NEW TENNESSEE STATE LAW
THAT FORBIDS THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION.
- THIS GIVES GEORGE AN IDEA.
- HEY, IF SOMEONE LOCALLY CHALLENGED THIS LAW,
IT COULD BECOME THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY,
AND IT COULD HELP THE ECONOMY IN A [bleep] LITTLE TOWN
THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT.
- GEORGE RAPPLEYEA, WHO I WANT TO CALL "APPLE YAY,"
BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REMEMBER HIS NAME.
APPLE...YAY!
BUT HIS NAME IS RAPPLEYEA.
- RIGHT. - DON'T CALL HIM "APPLE YAY."
- I WOULDN'T. - OKAY, I CALL HIM RAPPLEYEA.
SO THEY PITCH THIS IDEA TO JOHN SCOPES,
OF THE SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL.
- ISN'T IT TERRIBLE THAT THERE'S THIS LAW--
YOU'RE A SCIENCE TEACHER.
- YEAH. I'M A FOOTBALL COACH.
I ALSO TOOK-- [laughs]
I'M A FOOTBALL COACH. I ALSO TEACH A LITTLE SCIENCE.
AND I PERSONALLY BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION.
- THE ACLU, THEY HIRE THE GREATEST DEFENSE ATTORNEY
PROBABLY EVER-- CLARENCE DARROW.
- PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHOULD TEACH SCIENCE AND FACTS.
THAT'S-- THAT'S WHAT I THINK.
- WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN COMES IN TO FIGHT
FOR THE TENNESSEE STATE STATUTE, WHICH HE INSPIRED.
- YOU CAN'T TEACH EVOLUTION. - LEGALLY.
- YEAH, LEGALLY, YOU CAN'T TEACH IT.
- ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL,
WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN--
WHY DOES THAT NOT SOUND LIKE I'M SAYING IT RIGHT?
WILLIAMS...JENNING...BRYAN
SAYS TO THE COURT...
- IF EVOLUTION WINS, CHRISTIANITY GOES.
- AND TO THAT, CLARENCE DARROW ARGUED THAT...
- SCOPES ISN'T ON TRIAL. CIVILIZATION IS ON TRIAL.
- [clicks tongue]
THIS WAS LIKE A BOXING MATCH.
THIS WAS THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY,
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO HEAR A TRIAL
ON THEIR RADIOS.
THERE WAS A POINT IN THE TRIAL
IN WHICH CLARENCE DARROW ASKED SCIENTISTS TO EXPLAIN
THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION.
BUT THE JUDGE IN THE SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL
WAS JOHN RAULSTON, AND HE BELIEVED...
- I HAVE BEEN CALLED ON BY GOD
TO BE THE JUDGE IN THIS CASE.
SO I DON'T CARE WHAT ALL THESE SCIENTISTS HAVE TO SAY.
THEY CAN'T GIVE TESTIMONY.
- SO CLARENCE DARROW DECIDED...
- OKAY, ALL OF MY WITNESSES, THEY CAN'T GIVE TESTIMONY,
SO I'LL ASK SOMEONE WHO'S AN EXPERT ON THE BIBLE
TO GIVE THE TESTIMONY.
HEY...
[laughs] WHAT WAS YOUR NAME? BRYAN.
I KNOW YOU'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CASE,
BUT WHY DON'T YOU GO ON THE WITNESS STAND,
AND I'LL QUESTION YOU ABOUT THE BIBLE.
- NOW, WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN WAS SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
HE WAS, LIKE... - OH, MY GOD.
I'M GONNA DESTROY YOU AS A WITNESS.
I WILL GO ON THE WITNESS STAND.
- NOW, THE JUDGE DIDN'T WANT HIM TO DO THIS.
THE JUDGE WAS PRESI-- PRESIDENTIAL.
[laughs]
[laughing]
WHEN CLARENCE DARROW PUTS WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
ON THE BIBLE, HE ASKS...
- DO YOU BELIEVE ALL THE STORIES OF THE BIBLE LITERALLY?
- AND THE FIRST ANSWER OF WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN IS...
- YES. THE BIBLE IS LITERAL. I BELIEVE IN IT LITERALLY.
- AND THEN, ASKING HIM SPECIFIC QUESTIONS...
- WHERE DID CAIN'S WIFE COME FROM?
HE MADE ADAM AND EVE, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE, AND CAIN FINDS A WIFE.
WHERE DID-- WHERE DID CAIN'S WIFE COME FROM?
- WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN GETS FLUSTERED AND SAYS...
- WELL, I--I LEAVE THAT UP TO YOU AGNOSTICS TO FIND OUT.
- THAT'S ALL CLARENCE DARROW NEEDED.
- SO YOU'RE NOT INTERPRETING THE BIBLE LITERALLY.
AND HE GOES ON TO DESTROY
WILLIAMS JENNINGS BRYAN ON FACTS.
- GREAT. ARE YOU STILL SPINNING,
OR HOW DO YOU FEEL?
- WELL, I'M...
- I'M DIZZY. - MM-HMM.
- I FEEL WEIRD.
I FEEL LIKE I THINK I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING, AND THEN...
- I GET UTTERLY CONFUSED ABOUT...
- WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS GOING.
I KNOW... [laughs]
I'M GONNA GET FACEBOOK RESPONSES FOR THIS.
- THIS WAS THE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION
OF WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN.
AND WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN LOOKS LIKE A FOOL.
BUT WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN KNOWS...
- I HAVE THE MOST AMAZING CLOSING ARGUMENT TO MAKE.
- SO THE ENTIRE COUNTRY LISTENING TO THE RADIO AGREES
THAT CLARENCE DARROW JUST MOPPED THE FLOOR
[laughs] WITH WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN.
BUT WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN HAS
THE MOST AMAZING CLOSING ARGUMENT TO MAKE.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, CLARENCE DARROW ALSO KNOWS
THAT HE PROBABLY HAS A PRETTY AMAZING CLOSING ARGUMENT.
SO WHEN THE JUDGE ASKS, CLARENCE DARROW SAYS...
- I DON'T WANT TO MAKE A CLOSING ARGUMENT.
- BY LAW...
- [laughs] WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN
NOW CANNOT MAKE HIS CLOSING ARGUMENT.
- HE WAS, LIKE... - YOU SCUMBAG!
YOU KNOW WHAT A [bleep] SCUMBAG YOU'RE BEING RIGHT NOW.
- HE WAS JUST HUMILIATED,
- AND NOW HE CAN'T EVEN MAKE THE CLOSING ARGUMENT
HE'S BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE ENTIRE TRIAL.
- BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT, AT LEAST IN THE MINDS
OF THOSE LISTENING TO THE TRIAL ON THE RADIO,
HE HAD WON, AND THAT'S ALL HE WANTED.
BECAUSE HE KNEW HE WAS GONNA LOSE.
HE WANTED TO LOSE SO THAT A HIGHER COURT COULD DECIDE
ON THE STATE OF THE LAW.
SIX DAYS AFTER THE TRIAL, WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN DIED,
AND THE PRESS REPORTED THAT WILLIAMS JENNING BRYAN
DIDN'T DIE OF DIABETES,
HE DIED OF A BROKEN HEART.
- DO YOU THINK THEY WERE RIGHT?
- NO, I THINK HE DIED OF DIABETES.
- [laughs] PERFECT ENDING.
- [laughs]