Missionary activity was the main reason for the growth of British interest in Africa in the late nineteenth century. Explain whether you agree or disagree.

Missionary activity was the main reason for the growth of British interest in Africa in the late nineteenth century. Explain whether you agree or disagree.
Missionaries were Christian explorers and evangelists who saw it as their duty to spread the word of God to the indigenous people of Africa. This is just one of many reasons for British interest in Africa during the late nineteenth century. Other factors include: Economics, strategic, european rivalries and the intrinsic need to further explore Africa.
Missionaries wanted to explore Africa in order to spread the Christian teachings amongst the indigenous people. They not only saw this as their duty “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” but they also believed it was possible amongst the ‘heathen’ people. A letter from British Foreign Office had stated that the indigenous people of East Africa were the most corporate of all Africans and wanted to learn ‘British values’. Explorer and missionary David Livingstone had been traveling through West Africa with the help of traders. From this, we could assume that many missionaries had wanted to explore Africa due to philanthropic principle but British traders for their own sake of finding new trade markets. Although missionary activity was a strong factor in the growth of British interest in Africa, economics was the most important.
