Mandel A Symbol For Justice, Equality, And Dignity

First, in Rolihlahla Mandela’s(Nelson Mandela) childhood many things happened. For example, his father died when he was only nine years old (www.History.com Staff). He was adopted by the new chief and lived with him from that point on(www.Biography.com). He was the first one in his family to go to school and to go to college(www.sahistory.com). He studied law in every college he went to but never got his degree because he didn’t feel like getting his degree(www.sahistory.com. He got his name Nelson from his teacher, and lived with that name since then. When Nelson

In the 1930’s it was rare for a black South African to attend college. But Mandela not only attended, he graduated, got a degree from law school, and set up a practice in Johannesburg which he hoped could support his small family. Yet apartheid was always a humiliation to him. When the Afrikaner, or Dutch South African, Nationalists came to power in the 1948 election, the segregation habits of the past three hundred years became law. Hoping for a brighter future, Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) and became its first Youth Leader.

Twenty-seven years in prison could not shake his resolve to transform laws in South Africa. Innocent people shot down in front of him did not scare him away. After his death, NBC News reports that “…Mandela was a figure of enormous moral influence—a symbol of revolution, resistance, and triumph over racial segregation” (Connor). Similarly, Harper Lee shows us in To Kill a Mockingbird that one person standing alone has the power to influence the minds of people and challenge them to make sensible decisions. There will be many obstacles to overcome but one person can change society’s actions by taking courage to stand up for what’s right and urge other people to view situations differently.

Nelson Rohihlahia (stirring up trouble) Mandela was born on 18 July 1918, near Umtata, in the Transkei region of South Africa. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the Tembu Tribe. Mandela was trained to become the next chief to rule his tribe, but he was also a determined student and eventually joined an all black college, Fort Hare, where he was expelled for joining a student boycott. He later obtained an arts degree in Johannesburg and studied law at the University of Witwatersrand. Before apartheid, South Africa had a long history of racial

Throughout his life he suffered discrimination in all aspects. Mandela went to prison in his 30s while battling against apartheid, even in prison he would use every chance he got to speak against the injustice of white domination. As stated in text two, “I have dedicated myself to the struggle of of the African people.” Mandela spent his whole life fighting against discrimination, until 1994 when he became the president of South Africa, and pledged to build “a complete, just, and lasting peace.” “It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.

Mandela has been influenced by Gandhi all along his life. Gandhi, who was peaceful protestor against oppression led the Indian campaign in 1913. By this campaign, Mandela understood that to be successful in the freedom struggle, it was necessary to make sacrifices, and to suffer for the cause. Gandhi’s passive resistance inspired Mandela a lot and for the first years of his political career, he promoted non violent actions. These actions were therefore illegals, and like Gandhi, he was courageous and accepted the fact that those actions may led him to prison, like in Gandhi's case. However, when Mandela noticed that the passive resistance wasn’t effective, he decided to act in consequence, and to play by the government rules (use violence).

Although Mandela was able to go to law school because he was from a rich family, at a young age, he witnessed the discrimination South Africa was going through. South Africa had a political and social system, under white minority rule, that divided South Africans by their race. White and black South Africans were forced to live apart, that's why it was called the Apartheid System (www.history.com). Black South Africans used to word only as servants, on farms and in gold mines. Nelson dreamed of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people.

This publication goes into great detail about Mandela’s school years. Mandela was the first in his family to attend school, and was actually given the opportunity to go to school because his father was a respected African chief. While in school, he was taught various subjects, but was really stricken by his history class because he was taught about the days where African people lived in peace, before the white people arrived. This particular piece of information was worth mentioning in the paper because the education Mandela received in history class about the peaceful days would later inspire him to fight for an independent South Africa. This publication later mentions the African National Congress, and the African National Congress Youth

Mandela was born into the Madiba clan in Mvezo, South Africa, on July 18, 1918. It was an era in which white Minority or Afrikaners were oppressing black people. Despite, Mandela went to school. He was the first one to go to school from his family. Later on, Mandela explains education is one of the necessities to grow as a nation. He said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. One of the many reasons behind his wisdom was his knowledge. At age 19, he studied at Methodist College. The Madiba clan was considered a dethroned royalty. Mandela did not want to take place in that. So, he runs away to Johannesburg because he did not want to be a tribal leader. People who knew him described Mandela as young, friendly, warm, well-educated and naughty. At age 26, he got married to Evelyn and had three children. Walter Sisulu, a South African anti-apartheid activist and a member of the African National Congress got Mandela, a job as a law clerk.

Nelson Mandela was a man who learned from his previously violent ways and thoroughly used peace to his advantage in his fight against apartheid, and in the leading of South Africa. Nelson Mandela grew up as a peaceful person and in 1943 went to law school for his degree. While in law school, he got very interested in politics and joined a radical protest group, the African National Congress (The ANC). The ANC got into a lot of trouble with the government for their ideas about a place without apartheid. Mandela was arrested in 1963 and sentenced to life in prison. The government let him out of

Nelson Mandela was the man who abolished Apartheid, freeing South Africa from the binds of racial segregation forever. However, it was not an easy road and Mandela needed patience, strength of character, focus, passion, understanding, perseverance, and most importantly, forgiveness, to achieve this. For more than forty years, black South Africans were subject to the harsh racial segregation of the Apartheid system; despite making up over 70% of South Africa’s population, they had little to no rights.

Imagine being systematically oppressed from the moment you exited the womb. All your civil rights, based on the amount of melanin in your skin. Drinking from the wrong water fountain, could even get you thrown into jail. Coincidently; this was the life, of black South Africans from the moment of Dutch colonization in 1652, to the first true democratic election in 1994. Apartheid, meaning “separateness” in Afrikaans; was legal segregation enforced by The National Party (NP) from 1948 to 1994. It legally imposed preexisting policies of racial discrimination on the Majority of the South African population. The entire basis of the racist policies, was the darker your complexion the less legal rights you had. Presumably this injustice, could have continued much longer if it weren’t for all involved in the fight against the NP, however the man who arguably contributed the most, was Nelson Mandela. He ended an apartheid, with both his philanthropy and political prowess. He united a nation that used to be segregated; which seemed a daunting task at the time, but through the sweat and bloodshed he achieved the impossible. This alone exhibited his heroic characteristics, but to be more precise: both his actions and inactions lead to his success. Furthermore, Mandela was both a strong leader and forgiving at the same-time. Being in the forefront of the abolishment movement, was an extremely risky move during the apartheid. He risked his life for what he believed in, and this personal

Nelson Mandela was the South African president from 1994 to 1999 fighting against the apartheid. The apartheid was a system of discrimination or segregation on grounds of race. This is like the discrimination or certain cat types and how some get treated unfairly based on looks. The apartheid gave the minority a hard time. Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd, the prime minister from 1958-1959, would polish the apartheid policy into a system he called separate development. Minority groups of blacks, were separated into Bantu’s, a place with self-government. This worked

     Nelson is an individual who fought through many hardships, but was also faced with decisions that affected his future, his family, and his livelihood. As we look at Nelson deeper, we can see many interesting points. He was opened to new ideas and beliefs through his experiences in the schools of Heraldtown and Fort Hare, but knew there was something better. He decided to travel to Johannesburg to find new and greater opportunities. While, in Johannesburg, he believed education would be a key asset. While working for a small firm, he took classes at University of South Africa and eventually Wits University. Here is where his mind and social life flourished. He interacted with great minds and influential political individuals. He talked to many Africans without proper education, who contained more knowledge and better social skills than many Africans with education. But, he still persisted in acquiring his B.A. Wits University brought his life to new extents. He was also talking to Indians, Coloureds, and whites for the first time in his life and Becoming friends with many more prominent African individuals. Nelson soon joined the ANC and became very prominent in the fight for freedom. Nelson was always open to listening to new ideas, but when his was just starting his fight. He believed that just Africans

South Africa was a hub of racial tension and segregation. The apartheid laws bestowed upon Black South Africans led to an unjust lifestyle and created opposition between the different races. Certain South Africans began to endure inferiority and in spite of the Apartheid Laws, one man sacrificed his life against this injustice. That man was Nelson Mandela. Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) worked hand in hand to demolish Apartheid Laws and gained success in doing so. Nelson Mandela had made an abundance of sacrifices and contributions to fight for equality in South Africa. Throughout his journey of courage and leadership, he left a legacy on the face of the earth forever.