Mandel A Symbol For Justice, Equality, And Dignity
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Nelson Mandela was a symbol for justice, equality, and dignity. He spent the entirety of his life fighting for the things he was most passionate about. He often risked his life for his cause, and even spent decades in prison. In this paper, I will argue the relevance of Mandela’s passion and how individuals in todays society can learn from his activism. Mandela was born and raised in South Africa, which was a country that, up until 1994, was full of racial oppression and apartheid. Much like the Jim Crow laws in America, apartheid affected the lives of many African Americans and other people of color. At this time in South Africa, people of color were only allowed access to certain homes, schools, and jobs. The government stripped these…show more content… Mandela did not really understand everything his teacher was saying at the time, but this information would later fuel his resolve for an independent South Africa (Hyde Park Citizen). When Mandela finished high school he was sent to a university at Fort Hare (Hyde Park Citizen). This was the only university in the area for people of color (Hyde Park Citizen). While in college, he studied an array of subjects: English, History, Politics, Roman Dutch Law, Native Administration and Anthropology (Hyde Park Citizen). Mandela decided to focus on Roman Dutch Law to later work in civil service, which was the best profession a black man could obtain at the time (Hyde Park Citizen). In his sophomore year, he was elected a seat on the Student Representative Council, but declined the position because he did not agree with the way the elections were run (Hyde Park Citizen). The school ended up giving him an ultimatum, where he had to either take the seat he was given or face expulsion (Hyde Park Citizen). Mandela could not compromise his beliefs and morals, so he decided to leave the university (Hyde Park Citizen). His guardian was furious with his decision, and tried to force him into an arranged marriage. He, and his cousin ended up running away to Johannesburg where he worked for a few years as a security officer of a mine. He eventually completed his Bachelors degree and went on to study law further at a different university (Hyde Park