The Turning Point- Darwin's Theory of Evolution

In 1835, a scientist by the name of Charles R. Darwin traveled on a trip around the world, for the purpose of collecting scientific data. While in the Galapagos Islands, a group of small islands south of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, Darwin found differences in the biology of each small island. Darwin theorized that the animals on each island, although originating from the same animal, had developed physical changes to adapt to the changes in environment on each island. Darwin concluded that humans evolved the same way, over a period of millions of years, and he later developed this into his book called The Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. Darwin said that humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor, who monkeys also evolved from. Many religious groups opposed Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, since it contradicted the account of creation found in the Bible, which stated that the earth was created in six days.

Charles Darwin, photographed by Julia Margaret Cam...

Charles Darwin as a young man, probably subsequent...

English: Charles Darwin (1809-1882) in his later y...

This was a major turning point in history, because before Darwin, religion was taught in schools, relying more on personal beliefs than reason, logic and scientific data. People didn't want to accept his theory because if they did schools would have to admit that the material presented in the Bible wasn't fact. Many states banned Darwin's theory from being taught. This led to a court case in 1945 where a teacher in Tennessee taught Darwin's theory of evolution, and was found guilty. Awhile after this the laws were reversed, and teaching evolution became part of the school curriculum. Had it not been for Charles Darwin, evolution wouldn't be taught today in science, and the Bible would not be presented in schools as only a literary work.