Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa. His real name was actually Rolihlahla Mandela, meaning troublemaker. He was given the name Nelson “from one of his childhood school teachers.” Mandela was born into the Madiba clan on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo to Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela (Kadir 4). As a son of a chief Nelson had the best education a native African boy could have. He attended to Fort Hare University, where he first began to learn about student protest. Sadly, his father died when he was only 12 years old (4). He began his life-herding sheep, to becoming a ward of the great palace in Mqhekezweni after his father’s death.

Nelson Mandela became an influential global icon to people all over the world. Mandela's ultimate achievement was to grant freedom to the native South African population. In 1994, he spoke out against apartheid laws because he believed in equality for all people. The apartheid laws were the system of racial segregation in South Africa in place sends 1948. Nelson Mandela played a huge role of fighting against them. It could even be argued that he becomes the face of the anti-apartheid movement.

Nelson Mandela said in his autobiography “that one should be born with freedom, but instead he has to hunger for it”. Mandela’s refusal to accept injustice, unfairness, and inequality would “last a lifetime” (Nelson Mandela’s life story documentary, 2014). In 1941, Mandela joined the ANC, South Africa’s oldest political organization. He joined because it was a congress to unite people of all backgrounds and build a new nation that united all races.

Nelson Mandela fought for the freedom of African slaves and his goal was to free African slaves. He achieved his objective a...

... middle of paper ...

...elson Mandela served 27 years in prison to help usher in the end of Apartheid and was elected the first black president of South Africa in 1994. As incredible as his accomplishments are, they are the reason why people all over the world are upset his passing at the age of 95. Mandela had a strong historic fight for racial equality. Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5th, 2013 in Houghton Estate, South Africa. “The worlds freedom fighter, prisoner, moral compass and South Africa's symbol of the struggle against racial oppression”(CNN) has left us. He negotiated a peaceful end to segregation and urged forgiveness for the white government that imprisoned him. Mandela battled health issues in recent years, including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations. Mandela became the nation's conscience as it healed from the scars of apartheid (CNN).