
In 1928, a Tennessee politician named John Butler came up with a law that was passed by the state legislature that forbade any public teacher (from grade school to university) from teaching evolution and denying Biblical creation. A teacher was arrested and his trial (known as the Scopes Trial) turned into a large debate between both sides of the argument. The act remained on the books until a fired teacher took his case to the courts saying it was his right to teach evolution due to free speech. The Tennessee state house repealed the Butler Act quickly before the court had time to judge the case.