Although Charles Darwin was a great revolutionary—in fact, there are few human beings who have had the same effect on the field of biology and culture, in general—he was not a rebel. He came from a very comfortable, moneyed segment of British society, at a time when Great Britain was the most powerful nation on earth.
Born on February 12, 1809, Charles Robert Darwin was the fourth of five children (and the second of two sons) of Dr. Robert Darwin, a physician in the town of Shrewsbury, in the British Midlands, and his wife, Susannah. His paternal grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, was a physician too, and also an inventor. His maternal grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood, founded the pottery firm bearing his name; Wedgwood porcelain is still manufactured today, although few people know about the company’s link to Darwin.
This is a portrait of Charles Darwin, drawn by George Richmond around 1840 when Darwin was thirty, to commemorate his wedding. The excellent quality of the painting—Richmond was the best in England—reflects the fact that Darwin came from a very wealthy upper-middle-class family.
Because his father was not only successful in his profession but also a talented financier, and because his mother received a large dowry from her father, young Charles never had to work during his lifetime. He fell comfortably into the role expected of him: that of a respectable, upper-middle-class Englishman.
To understand Charles Darwin and his great achievements we should look at the influences around him.There is nothing new in Darwin’s work. And yet the work itself was entirely new!
Before evolution
Charles’s father was naturally concerned that his young son would become an idle wastrel. Therefore, when the lad was still in his teens, Robert pushed Charles towards medicine. However, after two years of study in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, Charles realized that he had no interest in following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor. Looking for an alternative, and somewhat in despair, Robert directed Charles towards the church (which is ironic, considering that later on Darwin’s theory of evolution would put him at odds with many people’s understanding of religious doctrine). In order to become a clergyman in the Church of England, a degree from a British university was required. Therefore, in 1828, Charles enrolled at Christ’s College in Cambridge.
He spent three happy years as an undergraduate. His formal courses were not onerous, and he had time to pursue the study of biology, an interest that was growing strongly. However, Darwin’s first explorations as a full-time scientist came in the area of geology. In 1831, he had the offer to go as the captain’s companion on board the British warship HMSBeagle. The ship, under the command of Capt. Robert FitzRoy, was going down to the southern hemisphere to map the coastline of South America. FitzRoy was looking for a gentleman who could pay for his own mess bills (food and drink), who would be outside the line of command, and with whom he could relax in his spare time. Darwin fit the bill exactly.
Overall, theBeagle voyage lasted some five years. It went first across to the east coast of South America, starting with Brazil, and then worked its way down to the very bottom to the snowy lands of Tierra del Fuego. It then sailed up the west coast past Chile, eventually swinging out into the Pacific. It made a visit to the group of islands known as the Galapagos Archipelago, now belonging to Ecuador. Afterward, theBeagle went southwest to New Zealand and on to Australia. It then visited South Africa, made a quick trip back to South America, and finally returned to England in the autumn of 1836.
HMS Beagle on which Darwin spent five years, from 1831 to 1836, circumnavigating the globe.
During the voyage, Darwin rapidly progressed from the role of captain’s friend to that of ship’s naturalist. He made massive colle
