First American to Reach the North Pole?!?

Today’s Information On African American History

Ask the average child about Matthew Henson, and they will probably say, “Matthew Who”?

Well, Matthew Alexander Henson was the only American who went with the well-known Robert E. Peary, the man credited with reaching the North Pole first in 1909. However, some critics say that Peary never really made it to the North Pole, but it was the African American Henson with four Eskimos who found the real North Pole. Peary had grown weak and sick, sending Henson and the Eskimos on ahead. When Henson discovered he had actually made it to the North Pole with the Eskimos, he returned to Peary. Peary then made it to a spot close to where Henson made the discovery.

Critics aside, both Peary and Henson planted the American flag together, perhaps showing an undercurrent of what could happen if black and white people actually worked together for the success of America. In any event, Henson spent the next 20 years traveling with Peary on other expeditions. His title was personal attendant and dog-driver. However, he did manage to receive some honors, including the Congressional Medal for his joint discovery of the North Pole with Peary.

Possible due to his dark complexion, Henson was adopted by the Eskimos. This could have contributed to their willingness to work alongside him. Henson wrote two books that all youth should be encouraged to read to fan their mind’s imagination: A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, and Dark Companion. Other writers have written about the North Pole find by Henson and Peary, including To the Top of the World by Pauline K. Angell.

There are African and African American (slaves, as well as free) exploring the world before and after Henson. There are historical records showing Africans with the “Spanish, French, and Portuguese. They were with Pizarro in Peru, Cortes in Mexico, Menendez in Florida…Balboa when he discovered the Pacific Ocean…[and the] pilot of one of Columbus’ three ships…” More has not been written about men of dark complexion because the historians and record-keepers of those days generally spoke about the captain or main leader of the expedition. It would be a good project for high school and college African Americans to travel and do research on the unknown African and African Americans who were on other expeditions.

We know of some of the early African American explorers because some of the writers of the day were amazed and wanted to write about these great black men to help undo the negative damage others had done about the feebleness and low-brain capacity of African slaves and their African American descendants.

One of Chicago’s early settlers was Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. Unless one investigated, it would be assumed that Chicago’s “first permanent settler” was pure French. Traveling with the French, DuSable had come from Haiti, the product of a French planter and his female slave. The father sent DuSable to France for his education and then had him assist him in his shipping business.

Jean DuSable was almost put into slavery when he came to America via New Orleans, but was saved by Jesuit priests. He later married a Potawatomi Indian, had children, became a famous frontier trader, fur trapper, farmer, businessman and the "authenticated father of the nation’s second largest city – Chicago." Others had come through Chicago before DuSable but couldn’t see any future.

Not only did DuSable see a future in Chicago, he built a large five-room house, had modern conveniences, became quite wealthy, and is the first recorded grandfather. His home was built on the present site of the present-day Tribute tower. Although his trading post supplied people from Detroit and Canada and throughout his region, something happened. No one knows if DuSable was threatened by white trappers or what, but he suddenly sold everything for a few cents on the dollar and moved to Missouri, where he died in poverty. Why would a man who was loved by the Indians of the region, had a flourishing business, almost 800 acres of land, all the customers he could handle, and success, move away and die broke? Perhaps a future historian will solve this mystery but I almost know the answer!


Next time: The ending of the “official” Buffalo Soldiers.