Evolution Creation Debate

1925 - High school science teacher John Scopes (1900-1970) is found guilty of breaking the Butler Act, a Tennessee law against teaching "any theory that denies the story of Divine Creation and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." The Butler Act remained on the books until 1967.

1968 - Epperson v. Arkansas - The Supreme Court kills a law prohibiting the teaching of evolution as an unconstitutional violation of the legally required separation of church and state.

1982 - McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education - A federal court rules against a balanced treatment of "creation science" vs. "evolution science." The court found that "creation science" is not science.

1987 - Edwards v. Aguillard - The Supreme Court finds that laws requiring the teaching that a supernatural being created humans improperly endorse religion.

2005 - Selman v. Cobb County School District - A federal judge finds that biology textbook stickers stating "Evolution is a theory, not a fact" violate the First Amendment. It is currently under appeal.