Darwin+&+Natural+Selection

=Charles Darwin and his Theory=

Who was Darwin? - He was a natural scientist who wrote __The Origin of Evolution__. He helped develop the theory of evolution and the theory of natural selection. He was born in 1809 and as born in Shrewsbury, England into a middle class family. John Collier, Prrtrait of Charles Robert Darwin, 1883

What was his theory? Evolution was first put forth by French scientist Jean Baptiste de Lamarck in 1809. Darwin's theory of evolution was that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor. His theory had different parts. His theory of Natural selection was that only the organisms with the best adapted to their environment survive. Over time the traits that are the weakest will disappear. When he was on a five year long voyage Darwin visited many places. When he visited the Galapagos Islands he started to form his evolution theory. What sparked this was that he found it interesting that on each island the birds were slightly different. He realized that the birds from each island were different because the environment they lived in was a little different. He studied the birds and started to develop his theory. Reactions were almost immediate. Biologists said that he couldn’t prove his theory. They also didn’t thing that he couldn’t explain his ideas. Some religious people didn’t like his theory because it contradicted what the bible said. Luke Fildes, ‘Houseless and Hungry’, 1869 - This picture was one artist reaction to Darwin's theory of natural selection. This picture is showing the rich and poor, the strong and weak all together. People who were against Darwin's theory of natural selection thought Darwin was saying that we shouldn't help the poor and the sick because they will die off anyway because they don't have the traits necessary for survival. What was going on in the world? Some things that were going on in Darwin’s life were the industrial revolution was in full swing, the first commercial rail system began running, Queen Victoria became queen, and the telegraph was invented. When Darwin was born the first ideas of evolution were emerging. Robert Brown discovered the cell nucleus.

What was his impact on the 19th century? Evolution was first talked about in 1809 by French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. His theory was that an organism can acquire a characteristic during its lifetime and pass it on to its offspring. He also understood adaptation because organisms got these net traits to fit their environment. Darwin added to this theory by showing that there was a lot of variation in a trait. The variation that allows the organism to survive in the environment is the ones that get passed on from generation to generation. Darwin greatly impacted the artists of the 19th Century. They artists started to make paintings of some of Darwin’s ideas. He impacted the way that people viewed humans place in the world. Humans are connected to every species so human beings were created by chance.

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Primary Source __The Origin of Species__ was my primary source. I chose it because it was written by Charles Darwin. It explained his theory and gave good examples.

Bibliography “Audio Slideshow: Darwin’s Endless Forms.” __BBC NEWS__. 17 September 2009. <[]> Charles, Darwin. __The Origin of Species__. New York: Oxford University Press inc., 1996 “Charles Robert Darwin.” 24 September 2009. <[]> “Darwin and Natural Selection.” 26 March 2009. 16 September 2009. <[]> "Darwin Publishes //On the Origin of Species//, 1859." //DISCovering World History//. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [|http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/] “Darwin’s Theory of Evolution-A Theory in Crises.” 16 September 2009. <[]> “Evolution and Natural Selection.” 7 May 2009. 17 September 2009. [] "Evolution." //Macmillan Compendium: World Religions//. Macmillan Reference USA, 1987. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [|http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/] “The Life and Times of Charles Darwin.” 12 February 2009. 17 September 2009. <[]> “Unfinished Business.” __The Economist__. 5 February 2009. 16 September 2009. <[]>