John T. Scopes. Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Tennessee's House Joint Resolution 289 (PDF), now approved by both chambers of the legislature and signed by the governor, "commemorate[s] the Centennial of the Scopes Trial in Dayton as a fundamental moment in the history of Tennessee and the United States."
The 20 provisions of the resolution's preamble recount, more or less neutrally, the background, conduct, and aftermath of the trial, although there are a few minor errors of fact (e.g., Tennessee's attorney general at the time, Frank M. Thompson, was not a member of the prosecution team) and a few puzzling turns of phrase (e.g., the trial is said to have "sought to justify the coexistence of faith and science").
Introduced by Ron Travis (R-District 31) — whose district includes the town of Dayton, where the Scopes trial was held — on February 26, 2025, the resolution passed the House and the Senate on unanimous votes, and was then signed by Governor Bill Lee on March 19, 2025.
