Matthew Henson was a great African American explorer. When Matthew Henson was born it was a racism and prejudice time. It was also the time when terrorist activity on the part of the Ku Klux Klan in Maryland was happening. Many free and newly freed black people had suffered from this band of night riders. His father also was barely able to support them.

Everything was going fine for a while but then Matthew’s mother died. Matthew was seven at the time. His father was unable to care for Matthew and sent him off to his uncle. His uncle was kind and was resentful towards Matthew. Yet six years later he too could not take care of Matthew due to financial hardships. Matthew could not go back to his father because he had recently died when Matthew was thirteen.

In 1885 when Matthew was on board the Katie Hines his adoptive father, Captain Childs also the captain of the ship at the time, became ill and died. When Henson had left the Katie Hines onto another ship he encountered cruelty, and tyranny aboard the ship, both things he had never had to face.

For blacks opportunities were limited but when he came back to Washington they were almost nonexistent., Also when Post-Civil War reconstruction failed it brought a lot of bitter resentment towards blacks. Jobs became scare and the ones that were available were menial ones. When Matthew found a job with Robert E. Peary he stayed with him for a long time. Robert and his crew , including Matthew started north but on the first day three of the sledges broke one being Henson’s. Matthew encountered sub zero temperatures, open water, and handling the dogs. During the 17 days of their journey they had to face crossing lead after lead, heist and toil.

Matthew was a great explorer and stick-ed through the whole expedition with his partners and leaders even through the hardships. At the end it all paid off when they finally reached the North Pole.

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