ABSTRACT
David Livingstone emerged from a working-class family to become an early British explorer of southern Africa, opening the way to future colonization of a region rich in natural resources. He decided to become a doctor and a missionary, initially wanting to work in China. In 1836 he started medical school at Anderson's College in Glasgow; in 1838 he was admitted to the London Missionary Society and finished his medical studies in London. In 1856 he returned to Britain and published a book, Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, which made him famous. Livingstone, an idealistic humanitarian, believed that the best way to end the slave trade was by promoting increased commerce in goods. Christian missionaries and anti-slavery activists followed in Livingstone's footsteps, giving the British government justification to declare a “protectorate” over many African regions in order to see to their safety.
