Nelson Mandela: A Fight to End Apartheid

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Nelson Mandela was born on July 18th, 1918 in Mvezo, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He is best known for his fight against apartheid and becoming the first black President of South Africa. Mandela was born into the Thembu people and was motivated to study law after experiencing the tribal democratic leadership. He joined the African National Congress in 1942 and participated in the organization of a many protests against apartheid. In 1952 “Mandela and Oliver Tambo started the first black law office in South Africa with the intent of fighting black injustice (Saunders, World Book 133)”. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and given a life sentence for charges for conspiring against the government. He was released in 1990 after serving 27 years. In 1993 he received the Nobel Peace Prize along with F. W. de Klerk for their contribution towards ending of apartheid and establishing multiracial elections. He was elected the first black President of South Africa in 1994. While in power he focused on fighting racism, inequality, and poverty in South Africa. Mandela retired his presidency in 1999 and made his last public appearance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. Nelson Mandela died December 5th, 2013 in Johannesburg. Throughout his early life, his imprisonment, and his presidency, Nelson Mandela always stood for change.
When Nelson Mandela was a young boy he was largely influenced by his guardian Jongintaba who was the Thembu Chief. Jongintaba would let the people lead the debates, and then he would analyze their thoughts, and they would make a decision. This influenced Mandela in his fight for a true democratic government. This also led Mandela to study law and fight for the rights of black South Africans. This background brought Mandela to th...

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...a stood for change throughout his whole life, no matter what hardships he encountered. Mandela continued to help the world after his presidency through humanitarian causes by creating the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which focused on rural development, school building and battling HIV/AIDS. Mandela has become widely known as the “father of the nation” in South Africa, where many regard him as a national hero. Nelson Mandela has also been called one of the greatest humans of the past century.

Works Cited

Findlay, Stephanie. Nancy Macdonald, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ”Nelson Mandela: Life and

Times: Freedom Fighter” (2014), Maclean’s, 14, Print.

Saunders, Christopher. Mandela. World Book. Chicago, Illinois, United States, 13, (2012).

Print.

Scott, Christina. “Nelson Mandela: A Force for Freedom” London, United Kingdom. Carlton

Publishing Group, (2010), Print.

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