As the sun rose on July 18, 1918 the most important South African civil rights leader was born. Nelson Mandela was born into a royal tribe family and grew up under white control. However, Mandela never saw himself as the inferior race and in fact saw himself as an equal to the whites. This led him to become one of the best civil rights leader in the time of apartheid, but because he stuck up for what he believed, he was put in jail for 27 years. After spending the majority of his life in jail when Mandela got out, he became South Africa’s first black president and remained president in the years 1994-1999. Nelson Mandela was known as the man who used peaceful tactics and used his outstanding public speaking to free the blacks, but what …show more content…
In part of Mandela's “I Am Prepared to Die” speech, he states that “These attacks would serve as a source of inspiration to our people. In addition, they would provide an outlet for those people who were urging the adoption of violence” (Mandela). Mandela believed that even though some people didn’t want violence, if they had an open-mind like him then they could realize that this would be an effective compromise between non-violence and guerrilla warfare Therefore, even though many people overlooked this, Mandela was a truly open-minded person. At the beginning of Mandela’s journey he needed confidence in order to get up in front of crowds and this confidence managed to stay with him throughout his fight against apartheid. Mandela’s confidence was really his most valued trait because it gave him the ability to give his speeches and without them he would've never been known as such a great public speaker. In Mandela’s “I Am Prepared to Die” speech Mandela says “I do not...deny that I planned sabotage.” (Mandela). This is Mandela being so confident in what he is doing that he is not afraid to admit his crimes to a judge and this made people look up to him and it made a lot of people decide to follow him. In the article “Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s Liberator and Leader Dies at 95”, it is saying that when Mandela’s case wasn't that strong he was able to make himself believe that it was (Keller). Mandela’s confidence in
6) however, like Gandhi, he encouraged the volunteers not to retaliate. Mandela spent 26 years and 8 months in jail as punishment for his protesting however, he felt that “no sacrifice was too great in the struggle for freedom” (Doc. 9). He spent time in jail with other protesters that all felt that “whatever sentences [they] received, even the death sentence… [their] deaths would not be in vain” (Doc. 9). Freedom for the South African people from apartheid finally came in 1993. To Mandela this was not just the freedom of his people but “the freedom of all people, black and white” (Doc. 12). “South Africa’s New Democracy” rose after years of continuous nonviolence from the populace.
Mandela once told the court he hoped to live in a free society and was willing to die for it. The author of “Death of an Icon Mandela” quotes Nelson Mandela in court saying “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities… it is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But my lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” (Polgreen). This proves that Mandela was very selfless because he always thought of others before himself. He wanted to free those who were practically prisoners in their own land and he put his own life on the line while fighting for them. Mandela showed how altruistic he was in many ways. He had taken his 27-year prison experience and made it his goal to protest for the freedom of his country. The author states, “Mandela said he regarded his prison experience as a major factor in his ability to lead a divided nation forward.” (Polgreen). This shows that Mandela is incredibly unselfish because he could have easily left prison and given up to let the rest of South Africa deal with their own problems, but instead he continued to rebel. Nelson Mandela was such an altruistic man and it is just one of his many traits that make him a
From this we observe that Mandela coordinated and led people to fight apartheid. As it can be concluded from the preceding information, Martin Luther King's actions and Nelson Mandela's actions justify their similarity.
But it was not easy to fight for something that he loved, there were difficulties and pain in his life, he was arrested for the rebellious and spend over 20 years in the prison. While he is the prison, he was still fighting and praying for the for people who needs the equity. After 27 years of arresting , he was released and became the new president of the new South Africa. With all of these are enough to show he was a hard working man that doesn’t give up easily to fight for his ideas and justice of many non-white people. So “ Don’t give up “ is one of his characteristic , the next one will be
The story depicted by the movie Invictus is just a glimpse at the many hearts that he touched through his transformational leadership approach proved to be a success in the accomplishment of his end goal of equal diversity amongst the citizens of South Africa. Mandela experienced a great amount of satisfaction from his role in changing the government’s environment and finding peace for
I was particularly stunned as he spoke but the court systems, because I thought that the south African legal system would at least have some reverential aspects in fairness. It may be understood that the court just couldn't believe Mandela was a lawyer, given the fact that many African different have such a respectful job. However, the judge went through such measures to kick Mandela out of his court. This event made me think about the book To Kill a Mockingbird, where Tom Robinson, the accused never necessarily had the odds in favor during thought the procession of the trial. Although that court was place in the south, a particularly conservative part. Due to this fact, it makes me think: Where there actually any liberal areas in South Africa where people weren't prejudice towards
In Nelson Mandela 1993 Nobel Peace Prize speech, Mandela tells about the cruel things that South Africans go through because of apartheid and why he is celebrating the end of it. Throughout his speech Mandela goes over the topic that apartheid is a real thing and African Americans are being treated unfairly and unequal for no reason.It is very clear that Mandela focuses on spreading awareness about ending the segregation that is going on in South Africa. He expresses why he and many other South Africans feel that apartheid needs to be ended and what the efforts were of him and others to end it. Mandela notes that he stands as a representative of the millions of people who feel the way that he does, this shows how strong people feel towards
Specific Purpose: To inform my communication studies 192 with a general understanding of the life and outstanding impact that Nelson Mandela has left on the world.
The life story of Nelson Mandela has long become a legend, a story that transcends race, borders, culture, or language. He is one of the greatest leaders to ever step foot on this Earth. He was willing to give up his own personal freedoms for the good of his people. Still, his decisions at major points in his lifetime hold lessons for individuals who are inspired of becoming good leaders. Many leaders are inspired by the actions and decision-makings abilities of Mandela. He kept the interest of others before his own. This is what made Nelson Mandela a great leader, and worthy of winning a Nobel Prize. From the decisions he made, and his life experiences while fighting for human rights, one can conclude that Mandela is truly
Mandela was imprisoned in South Africa from 1964-82. During the period of his imprisonment his public reputation grew. Upon his release from prison, he was considered the most prominent leader in black South Africa and he was a strong symbol of resistance in the anti-apartheid movement. Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s president in 1994. His main leadership qualities characteristics were his determination, persistence, focus and will.
In this speech Nelson also uses a lot of logic and statement, otherwise known as logos, to explain much of his thinking. Although at times Mandela literally convicts himself, he gives reasoning toward what lead him to those decisions. He states that “fifty years of non-violence had brought the African
During the reign of the Apartheid regime Nelson Mandela was born and raised. Nelson Mandela was a South African lawyer and prominent activist. He was also the leader of the African National Congress party and the first black President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He is known for his devotion and struggle against the Apartheid regime.
Mandela had a vision for South Africa, of which he was incredibly dedicated. During his famous speech entitled ‘I am Prepared to Die’ (1964), he stated,
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
Another prisoner noted of Mandela, "It doesn't matter if you differ, he is always polite. He never gets angry. All he will do is try to have the discussion as amicable as possible" (Liberfield 1).