Voices Against Slavery - David Livingstone

Voices Against Slavery - Part 9
David Livingstone

"David Livingstone was a missionary and explorer in Africa. He hoped to bring Christianity and new sources of trade to African people. He believed that this would help wipe out the slave trade.

Born in Scotland in 1813, he worked as a child in a cotton mill, whilst studying at night. He bacame a Christian and decided to devote his life to relieving human suffering. As a result he trained to be a doctor and became a missionary.


Livingstone first worked as a missionary in South Africa and it was here that he bagan to see slavery for hims4elf. One group of people in South Africa called Boers, considered black people to be inferior to white people. Many Boers used black people as slave labour.

Livingstone began to explore the central parts of Africa. Here he saw the awful effects of the slave trade. He began to write about what he saw to inform the general public and the British government.

On his visits back home, Livingstone wrote books about his travels and also spoke at meetings. He described the horrors of the slave trade and criticised the Portuguese for allowing the slave trade to continue in their territories.


After Livingstone's death, other people such as Sir John Kirk continued to fight for the end of the slave trade in East Africa."


p. 134 - Voices Against Slavery - Catherine House