In 1859, Charles Darwin published the famous book, On the Origin of Species, and shocked Victorian society. England had become extremely conservative at this time. Religion and propriety were of the utmost importance. "Established elites, slow to accept radical changes, were wary of new ideas that challenged traditional views of the 'natural order' and mankind's place within it," says James Moore, who wrote a biography of Darwin, in an article on pbs.org.Darwin kept his research and findings on the subject of evolution secret, and even delayed publishing the book a number of times in fear that it would ruin him. He was part of the upper class, and did not want to harm his reputation. He had good reason to be afraid. Darwin's theory of evolution excluded the existence of a god, and therefore went against every prevailing belief of the day. His book was deemed highly controversial, and only those in some scientific circles took him seriously. He even experienced difficulties with his own family, including his wife Emma, who was very religious. He endured heavy ridicule. Cartoons were drawn of him, depicting him with the body of an ape.
Today, the theory of evolution is widely accepted as fact by those in the scientific community. The decision whether or not to believe or teach evolution is a personal choice, but it is a much less controversial issue today than it was in 1859.
JH
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