David Livingston

A detailed Summary of David Livingston

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 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's journals. As a boy, David made few 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

On November 10, 1871, Henry Morton Stanley arrived in Ujiji. (Moorehead

Zambezi would accomplish that goal. When the party had finally reached the

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.

society to once again lead an African expedition. This time the expedition landed further north, at the mouth of the Ruvuma River with the objective of exploring the region of Lake Tanganyika. The party instead ended up around Lake Nyasa and it's affluent, the Lualaba River, which they thought to be the Nile. Despite sickness and lack of proper supplies, Livingstone continued to explore the area around the Tanganyika and Lualaba regions. His supporters in England failed to get news of his progress. Rumor began to spread concerning his death.

"We were becoming exhausted," wrote Livingstone in his account of the last

Livingstone returned to Africa in 1858 with government and public support behind him.(Hugon 80). His second expedition was backed by the British Foreign Office which had requested that he establish a base on the Zambezi for the "Civilized Mission" (Hugon 80). The second expedition had far more resources (funds, supplies, and porters) than any previous. Accompanying Livingstone this time was his brother, as well as a Thomas Baines, a known painter at the time.

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Approximate Word count = 3006
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People