Human Rights In Nelson Mandela

816 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Nelson Mandela history and philosophy

According to Google definition, human rights are “rights that is believed to belong justifiably to every person”. Mohandas Gandhi fought for India’s independence from Britain. Nelson Mandela fought for racial equality in a racist South Africa. Cory Booker fights to improve health and welfare to those who need it most. However, all of the individuals faced political opposition when they fought to protect the basic fundamental rights that everyone is born with. Mohandas Gandhi fought for India’s independence and racial equality using peaceful protests and speaking his mind. According to “Satyagraha: Gandhi’s Legacy”, “Gandhi developed his philosophy of “Satyagraha,” or resistance through non-violent civil disobedience to defend his rights …show more content…

According to Mandela, “The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my people. All of us will spend many years, if not generations, recovering from that profound hurt. But the decades of oppression and brutality had another, unintended effect, and that was that it produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers, the Robert Sobukwes of our time—men of such extraordinary courage, wisdom, and generosity that their like may never be known again. Perhaps it requires such depth of oppression to create such heights of character”. South Africa was mostly white in terms of population which caused a huge majority to support racial inequality. “We took up the struggle with our eyes wide open, under no illusion that the path would be an easy one. As a young man, when I joined the African National Congress, I saw the price my comrades paid for their beliefs, and it was high. For myself, I have never regretted my commitment to the struggle, and I was always prepared to face the hardships that affected me personally. But my family paid a terrible price, perhaps too dear a price for my commitment”. Mandela saw what he had to do to earn freedom and didn't like it so he strived for change. During his protests Mandela was arrested and sent to jail due to his political views and helped inspire future President F. W. de Klerk to create a non-racial South Africa. Nelson Mandela fought through political opposition to earn his voice in the movement of

Show More
Related

  • Comparing The Boston Tea Party, The Salt March, And The Civil Rights Movement

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gandhi developed the idea of satyagraha which centered around nonviolent resistance to opposition and evil. The goal of this march was to protest the taxation on salt production and transport in India by the British government. Gandhi's march sparked a wave of civil disobedience which contributed to the expulsion of the British empire. This march had a long term effect, as it inspired many to take part in a successful, organized civil protest. Furthermore, the protest stimulated further motivation for other disobedience and influenced the thinking of many civil disobedience leaders, such as Martin Luther King during the Civil rights

    Read More

  • Mohandas Gandhi`s Use of Nonviolent Methods to Achieve Independence

    3658 Words  | 8 Pages

    The mission of Gandhi’s life was to help the people of India free themselves from British rule. Many people have struggled for independence. They have fought bloody battles or used terrorism in an attempt to achieve their goals. Gandhi’s revolution was different. He succeeded as an independence leader with the use of nonviolent methods. The young Mohandas Gandhi did not seem as a boy that would become a great leader. He changed as he studied in Britain and practiced in South Africa. He fought for the rights of Indians in both South Africa and India. Gandhi believed that all people in the world are brothers and sisters. He didn’t hate the English. Actually, he saw a lot that was good about them. His nonviolent means of revolution was referred to as satyagraha, which is a combination of two Sanskrit words, satya, meaning truth and love, plus agraha, meaning firmness. Many people were influenced by satyagraha.

    Read More

  • Nelson Mandela's Use Of Civil Disobedience

    410 Words  | 1 Pages

    He joined the African National Congress in 1942 as a form of peaceful protests. The ANC’s goal was, “ to transform the ANC into a mass grassroots movement, deriving strength from millions. . . who had no voice under the current regime. . . [The ANC] officially adopted the Youth League's methods of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and noncooperation” (“Nelson Mandela Biography”). Mandela joined the ANC in order to peacefully remove the government’s racist policies. After he joined, Mandela spent lots of time going in and out of jail. However, he still persisted with making sure blacks gained rights. In 1991, he became president of the ANC and negotiated with President de Klerk for the country’s first multiracial elections. He succeeded. Years later, in 1994, Mandela became the first black president. When he became president, he sought to better the country and guarantee the blacks rights’. Two years after his presidency, Mandela “signed into law a new constitution for the nation, establishing a strong central government based on majority rule, and guaranteeing both the rights of minorities and the freedom of expression” (“Nelson Mandela Biography”). After defeating apartheid, he continued to make sure blacks rights were permanent. Similar to Transcendentalism, Mandela fought to establish blacks rights’ to allow everyone, not just whites, to be capable of discovering a higher truth among

    Read More

  • Nelson Mandela's Rights: Human Activists Or Human Rights Defenders

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human Activists or Human Rights Defenders are people who, individually or with others, act to promote or protect some variation of a certain Human Right. Throughout history there have been many world famous Human Activists, some have won prizes such as the Nobel Peace Prize, while some have even lost their lives fighting for what they so strongly believe in. Some Human Activists choose to fight for their cause with violence, but many Activists take the non-violence rout to solving their conflict. Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev are two very different Human Activists coming from two very different places, Nelson Mandela was the first black President of South Africa and spent spent 27 years in

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Nelson Mandela's Speech

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    Nelson Mandela has just gotten out of prison and is speaking to a rally of ANC supporters in Cape Town urging a continued struggle for racial equality and a government not dominated by any one race, black or white. Mandela is using the built up passion and anger from years of oppression to instill a resolve in the ANC members and others who are fighting for equality in South Africa. Calm Logic Despite his time in prison, Nelson Mandela was very calm and forgiving about his time there. He opens his speech with “I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all.”

    Read More

  • Human Rights of Indigenous Australians

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human rights are the inborn and universal rights of every human being regardless of religion, class, gender, culture, age, ability or nationality, that ensure basic freedom and dignity. In order to live a life with self-respect and dignity basic human rights are required.

    Read More

  • Nonviolent Disobedience

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mohandas Gandhi is an Indian lawyer and a spiritual leader that led a successful nonviolent resistance movement against the British colonial power. “The tactic of nonviolence civil disobedience in the Civil Rights Movement was deeply influenced by the model of Mohandas Gandhi, (...) Gandhi 's approach of non-violent civil disobedience involved provoking authorities by breaking the law peacefully, to force those in power to acknowledge existing injustice and bring it to an end”. (1) “Provoking authorities by breaking the law peacefully” this is an example of how nonviolent disobedience allows the message to stay focused and reach the point where people in power cannot ignore. Violent actions draw the media away from the message and fuels the rich and powerful; those who hide behind barriers in order to mute the underprivileged. An example of underprivileged people is African American’s during the 1950s who were treated like second class citizens. “Laws separated people of color from whites in schools, housing, jobs, and public gathering places”. (3) The types of methods used to fight against segregation are, “One of the ways African American communities fought legal segregation was through direct action protests, such as boycotts, sit-ins, and mass civil disobedience”. (1) This is how nonviolent disobedience is fought

    Read More

  • Nelson Mandela: The Art of Civil Disobedience

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    To understand Mandela’s role in civil disobedience, one must first have the knowledge of his personal life. Mandela was born in the town of Transkei, South Africa into a royal family on July 18,1918 (Klerk). Even though Mandela was born into a royal family, he still noticed the ugly treatment of people in South Africa based on their racial background. Mr. Mandela was educated at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand. Both of these universities are located in South Africa, though Fort Ware is in Eastern Cape while Witwatersrand is located in the capital (Klerk, F). While a student in college Mandela was sent home for protesting against the strict policies of the university with several other classmates. Like many col...

    Read More

  • Nelson Mandela

    2152 Words  | 5 Pages

    Activist, lawyer, father, prisoner, survivor, president, the face of equality. Nelson Mandela has an inspiring story of fighting Apartheid forces and surviving a long prison sentence all in the name of freedom and equal rights. Through Nelson Mandela’s constant fight for freedom of the African people from white apartheid forces, he was dominated by the corrupt government. After uprising numerous riots against apartheid forces, Mandela was sent to jail for twenty-seven years revealing the cruelty that humans can possess. With the strong will power and complete support of the African people, Mandela survived his prison sentence and became the first democratically elected president of South Africa exposing the strength in human nature by showing that humans can persevere through tough times. Mandela left a profound impact on the African people by saving them from corrupt Apartheid rule and bringing a democratic government. Thus teaching the world that in an event where a body of people is suppressed, they will inevitably rebel by any means necessary to gain their freedom.

    Read More

  • Machiavelli and Gandhi

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Machiavelli’s “The Qualities of the Prince”, Machiavelli states that, "A wise ruler, therefore, cannot and should not keep his word when such an observance of faith would be to his disadvantage" (Jacobus 48). If Mohandas Gandhi had followed the advice of Machiavelli, he would not be revered as the wise and great leader that he was. Mohandas Gandhi used his philosophy called Satyagraha to gain followers and to achieve his goal of freeing India from British colonial rule. Satyagraha is defined as a concept introduced in the early 20th century by Mohandas Gandhi to designate a determined but nonviolent resistance to evil (Encyclopædia Britannica). This requires that a person who decides to break a law considered unjust must accept the consequences of that decision. The use of Satyagraha had brought a lot of hard...

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Nelson Mandela

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many types of people in the world. Some of them are negative and some are positive. Negative people seem to have an endless impact on the people they influence. Negative people plant their venom in the lives of families, friends, communities, countries, and sometimes, even the world, which can make healing difficult and almost impossible because, in many cases, negativity breeds more negativity. However, all people are not negative people, and many people take time to build up others who are less fortunate than they are but who deserve the same opportunities they have. Nelson Mandela is one of these positive people. Mandela contributed to ending

    Read More

  • Mahatma Gandhi's Influence and Ideas

    1858 Words  | 4 Pages

    It was between 1915 and his assassination in 1945 that he struggled for India's freedom. Gandhi's teachings of non-violent resistance, known as satyagraha, has had a lasting effect and influence on the world today. He has been the role model for many famous, influential people such as American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and former South African President Nelson Mandela. His continued influence can still be felt today in many non-violent peace organizations around the world bearing his name or teaching his philosophy.

    Read More

  • Nelson Mendela: A Promiment Hero

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    Apartheid was a system of classified inhabitants and visitors into racial groups. Nelson Mandela is most known for his heroic efforts to end Apartheid in South Africa. During the apartheid era, the blacks were subjected to the worst forms of discrimination by the white minority. They were restricted and forced to live in townships, whereas whites were allowed to enjoy unlimited freedom. Blacks were stripped of their right to vote, own property, marry whites, work with whites, and even travel anywhere without carrying proper documentation. The whites wanted to make sure that no blacks were considered citizens. Mandela’s reaction to the inhumane social conditions was to team up with the ANC, African National Congress, and stop racial discrimination. While others wanted to seek violence in making a d...

    Read More

  • Nelson Mandela's Long Walk To Freedom

    2182 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nelson Mandela in his book, Long Walk to Freedom argues through the first five parts that a black individual must deal, coop, and grow through a society that is hindering their lives' with apartheid and suppression of their rightful land. Rolihlanla Mphakanyiswa or clan name, Madiba was born on July 18, 1918 in a simple village of Mvezo, which was not accustomed to the happenings of South Africa as a whole. His father was an respected man who led a good life, but lost it because of a dispute with the magistrate. While, his mother was a hard-working woman full of daily choirs. His childhood was full of playing games with fellow children and having fun. In school, Mandela was given his English name of Nelson. After his father's death, he moved to love with a regent, who was a well-off individual and owed Nelson's father for a previous favor. The next several years were full of schooling for Nelson. These schools opened Nelson's eyes to many things, which we will discuss later. He and the regent's son, Justice decided to travel to Johannesburg and see what work they could find. They left on their journey without the regent's permission, but eventually escaped his power and settled down in the town. In Johannesburg, Nelson settled down in a law firm as an assistant and went to University of South Africa and Witwatersrand University to further his law education. Witswatersrand University brought many new ideas to Nelson and awakened a spirit inside of him.

    Read More

  • Gandhi’s Key Concepts of Passive Resistance, Non-violence, and Self-rule

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gandhi devoted himself for Satyagraha in order to decolonize India from British without violence. In his book Home Rule he says,” Passive resistance is a method of securing rights by personal suffering, it is the reverse of resistance by arms. When I refuse to do a thing that is repugnant to my conscience, I use soul-force” (5). He deployed this concept in Indian Independence Movement. For him, Satyagraha has three essentials meaning: “Satyagraha is a weapon of the strong; it admits of no violence under any circumstance whatsoever; and it ever insists upon truth” (6). Also, he presented some rules for this “soul-force” to the individuals of India as a campaign to follow and to reach the independency. For instance, these are the rules that he wanted his people to obey without viole...

    Read More

More about Human Rights In Nelson Mandela

Open Document