Livingstone’s ideas of Christianity, commerce and civilization

Abstract

David Livingstone is often misunderstood as being a conscious promoter of European colonization of Africa. On the contrary, he believed that the key to Africa's future was the stimulation of indigenous development and good government. Such 'civilization' could only be achieved by the combination of Christianity with legitimate commerce, to replace the Slave Trade which had been the bane of Africa's development for centuries. This paper traces the roots of Livingstone's belief in the combination of moral and material betterment, derived from his personal origins and the Evangelical and Anti-Slavery movements. It shows how these ideas matured during his mission days among the BaTswana, during which he began to travel north to the Zambezi and beyond.