How long did matthew henson live

Subsequent research and exploration has revealed that Peary and Henson did not reach the North Pole but their failed attempt is still recognized as an important contribution to scientific knowledge. Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy, Maryland on August 8, His parents were free people of color who worked as sharecroppers. Both parents died when Henson was a child and he was subsequently sent to Washington, D.

The captain of the vessel taught Henson to read and write. Henson sailed the world with the Katie Hines for the next few years. By November , however, Henson worked at a Washington D. Over that time, Henson traded with the Inuit in Canada and Greenland and learned their language. Eventually, both he and Peary married Inuit women. They were accompanied by 22 Inuit men and 17 Inuit women, 10 children, dogs and 70 tons of whale meat from Labrador , Canada.

When Henson descended from the frigid north his reception was distinctly cool, even in contrast to Peary's less than wholesale embrace by the American public.

As public opinion eventually accumulated on Peary's behalf, acknowledgement of Henson was still not forthcoming. It took decades for Henson to achieve fame comparable to Peary's.

While this popular recognition is largely posthumous, those who labored alongside Henson during his eighteen year Arctic career have never been short of praise for America's foremost black explorer. Matthew Henson went to the Pole with Peary because he was a better man than any one of us. Of Peary's crew, only Henson was fluent in Inuktitut, and could drive a sledge with native prowess. Henson was born in Maryland on August 8, But the question remained who had arrived there first.

With a difference of a few hours at most it would be reasonable to give Peary and Henson equal credit for having reached the North Pole together as a team. But the racially divisive climate of time would not give an African-American man the same standing in the public eye for the accomplishment of such a monumental feat of human achievement. Peary was the recognized discoverer of the Pole while Henson was relegated to the role of trusty companion. In , he joined Peary and became an accomplished explorer.

Henson was the front man in the field. With his skills as a carpenter and craftsman, Henson personally built and maintained all of the sledges used on their expeditions. He was fluent in the Inuit language and established a rapport with the native people of the region.