David Livingstone Essay -- essays research papers

David Livingstone was one of the most revered and well-thought-of African explorersof his time. He spent almost 30 years exploring a region atomic known to theoutside world. He practically put ambition in front family and his own personal health in his quest to open the inner of Africa to &8220Civilization, Christianity, andCommerce.(Hollett 236) Through his daring explorations into the unknown, hediscovered and documented many unexampled landmarks inside the dark celibate, and attimes became obsessed with his determination to catch a single source of the Nile. He had a major daze 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 wool 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 for the most part scientific works and explorer&8217 s journals. As a boy, David do few friends. Others described him as quiet, sulky, and unremarkable. Yet despite this, David was a industrious worker, and extremely motivated toward his goals. By age 17, Livingstone had decided he wanted to leave the mill and flex adoctor. Livingstone&8217s father, a deeply religious man, wanted him to go into areligious field, and would non countenance him to go. Livingstone eventually convincedhis father to let him go to school and become a missionary in China. 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 act his studies, and became a respected member of the medical community. Soon though, he offered his run to the London Missionary Society, and was assigned to a mission in Africa. too soon knowledge and exploration of Africa was confined to desert and coastalregions. The interior wet regions held many difficulties for p rospectiveexplorers. This included climate, vegetation, and hostile peoples and creatures. Throughout the 18th and nineteenth centuries, most of Africa was unexplored, and unmapped. The British were the first Europeans to make a serious get down at exploration of the interior of Africa. Earlier European contacts were rel... ...lf that the Lualaba River was the source of the Nile, it was not confirmed until after Livingstone&8217s stopping point that Lake Victoria and the Mountains of the Moon were the essential 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 fundingwith the native peoples, eating their food, sleeping in their huts, and without losing his own identity, he do their life his own. He probably understood the African people their beliefs, fears and demand better than anyone outside of Africa at that time. He sacrificed personal needs for what he bel ieved was his mission to Africa,and was probably more 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 fond and political 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 a good deal ashaving the backing and resources to pursue his objectives in the then darkcontinent of Africa.