David Livingstone
was one of the most revered and respected African explorers
of his time. He spent almost 30 years exploring a region little known to the
outside world. He often put ambition before family and his own personal health in his quest to open the interior of Africa to “Civilization, Christianity, and
Commerce.”(Hollett 236) Through his daring explorations into the unknown, he
discovered and documented many new landmarks inside the dark continent, and at
times 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 ...
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he wanted to leave the mill and become a
doctor. Livingstone’s father, a deeply religious man, wanted him to go into a
religious field, and would not allow him to go. Livingstone eventually convinced
his father to let him go to school and become a missionary in China. After
finishing school, Livingstone had planned to go to China to perform his missionary duties, but because of the Opium War, Livingstone’s 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 Missionary Society, and was assigned to a mission in Africa.
Early knowledge and exploration of Africa was confined to desert and coastal
regions. The interior humid regions held many difficulties for prospective
explorers. 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 ...
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teachings, and began to realize the enormous difficulties of missionary work.
After being attacked by a lion near Mabotsa, which severely damaged his right shoulder and inflicted a wound that would trouble him throughout his life,
Livingstone returned to the main mission operated by Robert Moffat. Once there
he married the Moffat’s eldest daughter, Mary. The marriage was done with little enthusiasm, and Livingstone carried almost no affection for his new bride whom he described as “stout and stumpy.” Despite this, Mary Livingstone was a capable and hard working woman who taught in the mission schools and helped the
missionaries make soap, clothes, ...
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"David Livingstone." Essayworld.com. May 12, 2008. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/David-Livingstone/83493.
"David Livingstone." Essayworld.com. May 12, 2008. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/David-Livingstone/83493.
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