David Livingstone Essay -- essays research papers

David Livingstone was one of the intimately revered and respected African explorersof his time. He worn-out(a) almost 30 years exploring a region little know to theoutside world. He often put ambition before family and his get 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 an(prenominal) new landmarks inner the dark continent, and attimes became obsessed with his determination to find a single 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 manufactory while pursuing his studies at night. He was an avid reader, and would often apprehension up until twelve or later, buried in a book. Livingstone enjoyed rendering on a variety of subjects, but read mostly scientific works and explorer& 8217s journals. As a boy, David made hardly a(prenominal) friends. Others described him as quiet, sulky, and unremarkable. Yet despite this, David was a tireless worker, and highly motivated toward his goals. By age 17, Livingstone had decided he wanted to communicate the mill and become adoctor. Livingstone&8217s father, a deeply religious man, wanted him to go into areligious field, and would not allow him to go. Livingstone at last convincedhis father to let him go to school and become a committeeary in mainland 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 continued his studies, and became a respected member of the medical community. Soon though, he offered his services to the capital of the United Kingdom Missionary Society, and was assigned to a mission in Africa.Early fellowship and exploration of Africa was confined to desert and coastalregions . The interior humid regions held many difficulties for prospectiveexplorers. This included climate, vegetation, and hostile peoples 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. Earlier European contacts were rel... ...lf that the Lualaba River was the source of the Nile, it was not support until after Livingstone&8217s death 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 immanent peoples, eating their food, sleeping in their huts, and without losing his own identity, he made their invigoration his own. He probably understood the African people their beliefs, fears and needs unwrap than anyone outside of Africa at that time. He sacrificed personal needs for what he believed was his mission to Africa,and was probably more spiritually content to meet his death in that location than any place else.David Livingstone&8217s three works on second and South Central Africa had majorimpacts on the worlds understanding of, and social and semipolitical 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 backing and resources to pursue his objectives in the then darkcontinent of Africa.