David Livingstone Essay -- essays research papers

David Livingstone was one of the most revered and respected African explorersof his time. He spent almost 30 years exploring a region piddling known to theoutside world. He often put ambition before family and his own personal health in his quest to open the interior of Africa to &8220Civilization, Christianity, andCommerce.(Hollett 236) by his daring explorations into the unknown, hediscovered and documented many new landmarks inside the dark continent, and attimes became obsessed with his determination to find a item-by-item source of the Nile. He had a major impact on later expeditions into central Africa. .Livingstone was born to a poor Scottish family in 1813. Starting at age ten,Livingstone worked in a cotton mill while pursuing his studies at night. He was an avid reader, and would often stay up until twelve or later, buried in a book. Livingstone enjoyed reading on a variety of subjects, but read mostly scientific works and explorer&8217s journals. As a boy, David made fe w friends. Others described him as quiet, sulky, and unremarkable. Yet despite this, David was a tireless worker, and extremely motivated toward his goals. By age 17, Livingstone had decided he wanted to leave the mill and become adoctor. Livingstone&8217s father, a deeply religious man, wanted him to go into areligious field, and would not deliver him to go. Livingstone eventually convincedhis father to let him go to school and become a missionary in chinaware. Afterfinishing school, Livingstone had planned to go to China to perform his missionary duties, but because of the Opium War, Livingstone&8217s plans were altered. He continued his studies, and became a respected member of the medical community. Soon though, he offered his services to the London missioner Society, and was assigned to a mission in Africa.Early knowledge and exploration of Africa was confined to desert and coastalregions. The interior humid regions held many difficulties for prospectiveexplorers. This includ e climate, vegetation, and hostile pecks and creatures. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, most of Africa was unexplored, and unmapped. The British were the first Europeans to make a serious attempt at exploration of the interior of Africa. earliest European contacts were rel... ...lf that the Lualaba River was the source of the Nile, it was not confirmed until after Livingstone&8217s demolition that Lake Victoria and the Mountains of the Moon were the actual sources of the Nile.Livingstone&8217s missions began and ended in Africa. His explorations wereprimarily in the Lake Tanganyika and Lualaba River regions. He enjoyed livingwith the native peoples, eating their food, sleeping in their huts, and without losing his own identity, he made their life his own. He probably understood the African people their beliefs, fears and needs better than anyone outside of Africa at that time. He sacrificed personal needs for what he believed was his mission to Africa,and was probably mo re spiritually content to meet his death there than any place else.David Livingstone&8217s three works on South and South Central Africa had majorimpacts on the worlds understanding of, and social and governmental attitudes andpolicy towards Africa. Although his books made him one of the most famous andrespected explorers, he was not as concerned with fame and riches as much ashaving the backup and resources to pursue his objectives in the then darkcontinent of Africa.