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Explain how Matthew Henson has received credit for his achievements…
Explain how Matthew Henson has received credit for his achievements over the years. How does this help get history right?
Article
Sometimes it takes a while for history to get things right. Take Robert Peary’s 1909 expedition to the Arctic. It established the explorer as the first person to reportedly reach the North Pole. But the truth is that someone else probably got there before him. That man was Peary’s expedition partner, Matthew Henson. So, why did Peary get all the glory? At the time, Black people were rarely honored for their achievements. However, in time, history would be corrected.
Matthew Henson was born in Maryland in 1866. Orphaned as a young boy, he journeyed to Baltimore at age 12 and found a job on a merchant ship. For the next six years, the teenager sailed the world. He also learned to read, write, and navigate. Afterward, Henson took a job at a Washington, D.C., department store where Peary often shopped. Impressed by Henson’s seafaring experience, Peary hired him to serve on an expedition to Nicaragua. The two would spend 22 years exploring together.
It took Peary eight attempts to reach the North Pole. Each time, Henson’s skills as a hunter, dog handler, and craftsperson proved essential. He built the dogsleds, tended to the dogs, and trained the expedition teams. Henson also developed close ties with the Inuit people. He learned how to survive in the North as they did.
The 1909 expedition was a demanding five-week trial by ice. The team traveled in subzero temperatures over ground that could suddenly crack and drift away. On April 6, after an intense five-day push, Peary believed he had arrived at the North Pole. But a dense Arctic mist masked the sun, making it impossible for him to determine his exact whereabouts. Henson spent the day scouting the area in the lead dogsled. Then the men returned to their igloos for the night.
The following morning, Peary confirmed his location and the team proceeded to the Pole. When Henson looked down, he noticed that his footprints were visible in the ice from the day before. He had gotten there first!
Afterward, Henson returned to the U.S. He gave several newspaper interviews. He also wrote a book about his experience in 1912. However, his story never captured much interest. In time, Henson disappeared from the public eye.
Slowly, Henson got credit for his contribution to history. In 1937, the Explorers Club of New York made him a member. They called it “an honor long overdue.” A few years later, the U.S. Navy awarded him and the other expedition members a medal. It was the same medal it had given Peary years before. However, they didn’t invite Henson to the ceremony because he was Black. Then, in 1954, an 87-year-old Henson received a special tribute from President Dwight Eisenhower at the White House.
Yet perhaps the greatest honor was given to Henson following his death. It happened on April 6, 1988, 79 years after the 1909 expedition first made history. Henson’s body was reburied near Peary’s in Arlington National Cemetery. This cemetery in Washington, D.C., is the resting ground of war heroes and presidents. Henson’s grave marker clearly names him the “co-discoverer of the North Pole.” Thus, the unsung giant of Arctic exploration finally got his day in the sun.
