| By Gale Staff |
Charles Robert Darwin was not a particularly good student. However, his uniquely inquisitive nature led him on a journey that would revolutionize the scientific world. Aboard the HMS Beagle, Darwin traveled to some of the world’s most remote destinations, collecting specimens that would broaden our understanding of the planet’s diversity and suggest new ideas about human origins.
Darwin proposed the concept of natural selection, suggesting that species adapt over time based on which characteristics prove most advantageous to survival. Furthermore, he helped concretely define the relationship between human beings and apes, positing that we share a common ancestor. Darwin’s theory on evolution still informs modern science today, though his findings have long stirred controversy in some religious circles.
Darwin was born on February 12, 1809. To celebrate his birthday, use your Gale In Context: High School database to develop a compelling lesson plan around Darwin’s life, discoveries, and impact on the scientific community. Stoke your students’ curiosity and guide them to our Darwin topic page, where they can navigate biographical information, excerpts of his works, and other related articles.
Meet the Young Darwin
Gale In Context: High School offers several biographical summaries of Darwin from various reference sources, each containing details on his early life. He lost his mother when he was only eight years old, leaving his three sisters primarily responsible for raising him.
The Darwin family was well-off and well-educated. He descended from a line of doctors, though Darwin himself was a substandard student. Talent isn’t always immediately apparent, and success takes time—an important lesson for students!
As a young person, Darwin was gentle and shy. He found school rather boring and instead liked to spend time alone, watching birds, collecting insects, or reading beneath the dining room table. He began conducting experiments as a teenager, and his bold forays into chemistry earned him the nickname “Gas.”
Determined for his son to continue the family’s professional legacy, his father, Robert Darwin, enrolled him in Edinburgh University to study medicine at the age of 16. Unfortunately for Robert, Charles was quickly traumatized after observing a surgery (the use of anesthesia wasn’t common at the time) and developed an aversion to human blood.
After becoming acquainted with John Edmonstone, a formerly enslaved man, Darwin picked up a new hobby during his time in Edinburgh: taxidermy. Darwin was staunchly anti-slavery and felt nothing but respect and admiration for Edmonstone, a master taxidermist. Edmonstone’s tutoring of Darwin in this skill would prove fundamental to the latter’s specimen collection.
Darwin quit medical school after just two years and considered becoming a clergyman, transferring to Christ’s College at Cambridge University. While there, he met botany instructor John Stevens Henslow, who became his mentor and champion. Henslow recommended the inquisitive young Darwin to the research crew aboard the British Royal Navy’s HMS Beagle.
Take a Journey on the HMS Beagle
On December 27, 1831, the HMS Beagle left on a five-year voyage to survey the coasts of South America. Darwin was just 22 years old, and his father initially forbade his son from going; he believed his son lacked professional direction and was wasting money. However, he relented, recognizing the opportunity for practical experience—and perhaps some much-needed maturity.
Darwin worked as a naturalist on board. In this role, he kept detailed field notes on local flora and fauna and collected specimens whenever possible. His systematic, meticulous observations would allow him to further study and analyze data once he returned from the voyage. Individuals can still see his original notebooks at the Cambridge University Library.
Most famously, Darwin visited the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean 600 miles west of the Ecuadorian mainland. Due to its unique climate and isolation, the Galápagos played a key role in helping Darwin develop his theory about evolution and natural selection. While similar to mainland species, he observed how Galápagos tortoises and birds were distinct, having developed specific variations to better survive their environment.
This trip aboard the HMS Beagle and Darwin’s observant documentation would change history forever.
Consider the Impacts of Darwin’s Discoveries
Upon returning home in 1836, Darwin approached his data and exotic zoological souvenirs with fervor. Darwin ultimately concluded that animals evolve and become entirely new species based on their environments and survival needs—such as in the well-known case of Galápagos finches.
For many, the idea was radical and disturbing. In one of his letters to botanist Joseph Hooker, Darwin once said, “Simply believing in evolution seemed like confessing a murder.”
Even after developing his theory about natural selection, Darwin delayed sharing his findings for fear of the public controversy it might cause. Nonetheless, in 1859, after years of further analysis, Darwin published his conclusions in his pinnacle work, On the Origin of Species. The book sold out immediately, and many scientists began to embrace Darwin’s theories. It is widely considered one of the most important books in science.
However, his breakthrough findings weren’t accepted by all; certain members of both the religious and scientific circles felt Darwin’s work should be considered as mere conjecture, rather than theory. Notable geologist John William Dawson described Darwin’s hypothesis as “crude and simple,” and Boston University professor Luther Tracy Townsend argued that the theory did not “possess weight” since some in the scientific community disagreed with Darwin’s premise.
Darwin was hardly someone whose personality matched the controversy he stirred. Quiet and humble, Darwin continued to conduct experiments and publish his findings, growing especially interested in orchids. Darwin remained an active member of the scientific community until he died in 1882.
Alongside Darwin’s research, it’s worth considering the skepticism and controversy stirred by his work. In all likelihood, Darwin would want students to push back and question the world around them, developing their critical thinking skills and forging their own paths. Through examining Darwin’s life, students can discover the value of curiosity and individualism. After all, Darwin ultimately concluded that diversity is a strength.
Gale databases can help you add valuable context and bring these famous individuals to life in your classroom. If your institution isn’t a subscriber to Gale In Context: High School, learn more and request a trial today.