A. “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite” (Mandela, 1995).
Those were the words of great man─a man who was born on an ordinary July day in South Africa. July 18, 1918 would be the beginning of life for a man who would positively impact human rights for his country and the international community as a whole. Rolihlahla Mandela, known more commonly by either his Christian name Nelson Mandela or his native tribe name Madiba, was born into a poverty stricken, South African indigenous tribe. Mandela would begin actively advocating for human rights in 1942 at the age of 24 and would continue to pursue his life mission for a world of equality until his recent passing on December 5, 2013.
South Africa gained its independence from England in 1934. However, the South African indigenous communities continued to be oppressed under the control of white minority citizens. Mandela was introduced to the African National Congress (ANC) in 1942 and officially became a member in 1944. The ANC was formed to unite the African people and bring social and economic change to Africa (African National Congress, 2011). Embracing the energy and ideas youth can convey when faced with turmoil, Mandela spearheaded the ANCYL (African National Congress Youth League) in 1944 (History.com, 2013). The ANCYL was designed to take a very visible but non-violent approach against racism and segregation in a full-fledged effort to achieve equal citizenship for all South Africans. Mandela envisioned this could be done through boycotts, strikes, civil dis...
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On July 18, 1918, Rolihlahla Mandela was born into the Madiba clan in Mvezo, Transkei. His parents were Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela. Nkosi was the principal counsellor to the acting King of the Thembu People, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Rolihlahlas father died when he was a child. When his father died, Rolihlahla became a ward of Jongintaba, at the Great Place, in Mquekezweni. Rolihlahla dreamed of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The racial segregation in South Africa determined where a person could live, work and even attend school. It even determined who could vote and who could not; only whites were allowed to cast their ballots. Tribal homelands called Bantustans were set aside for a place where blacks could live since the majority of the country was reserved for whites (The Book of Knowledge). The apartheid in South Africa led to the formation of the African National Congress (ANC) and the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) (“Nelson Mandela”). The ANC was a national liberation movement established in 1912 to unite black citizens and effect social, political, and economic change (“F.W. de Klerk”). The ANC adopted the ANCYL’s plan to achieve full citizenship for all South Africans through boycotts, strikes, civil disobediences, and other nonviolent methods (“Nelson Mandela”). In the 1950s, Mandela was arrested and imprisoned multiple times due to his involvement in the ANC. The Congress was outlawed in 1960 and went underground. While in hiding, Mandela became the leader in the struggle for majority rule (“Nelson Mandela (1918-)”).
Nelson Mandela was born in a village called Mvezo, Transkei in the 19th July 1918. He was apart of the Madiba clan. Nelson grew up listening to stories of his ancestors and how they survived in hard times. This is what inspired him and gave him the dream to one day achieve great things. Nelson was an inspiration to a lot of people, and who fought for civil rights. He went through hell and back to fight for happiness not only to himself, but for the whole community. The amount of lives Nelson impacted from his actions is mindblowing, and he did all this just by stepping up and saying “ NO, this is not fair!”
Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa in 1918. The son of a chief, Mandela was able to get a better education than many of his peers. These formative years seem to have played a big role on the activist he would later become. “(He) was encouraged to challenge the boundaries that colonialism and apartheid imposed on South Africans. He encountered a number of people who seemed to exemplify this challenge to the status quo, being taught, for example, by the first female African graduate, Gertrude Ntlabathi.”(Moore, 281) This was the beginning of a long and important journey for Mandela, and all of South Africa.
Mandela was born July 18, 1918 in the South African village of Mvezo . The social and political climate during this time was one of a divided land and people. The overall mindset of South Africa was that blacks were an inferior race. Racism became not just in mindset but also in law. Harsh segregation made racism status in quo.
...ctions of such groups as the African National Congress displayed defiance and bravery in the midst of extremely tough situations. South African native’s rights were being violated because they were being treated poorly and harshly. If anyone tried to protest, even protest with peaceful means, they were either shot at or arrested. The ANC was developed to fight the battle against apartheid. Eventually, this fortunately led to the end of apartheid in 1994. The humanity of all people are diminished when any group is withhold of rights that our granted to others.
He found it difficult at times as he was the only native African in his class. Nelson was influenced by the African National Congress, here he became enthusiastically involved in the anti-apartheid movement. It was during this time his political ideals were formed and on Easter Sunday he was in the executive committee of the (ANCYL) African National Congress Youth League. In 1947, Mandela was given the position of a Secretary at the ANCYL and three years later he was given a higher position as the National President of ANCYL. Nelson was passionate about racism and continued fighting. Few years later he was influenced by Gandhi, he set out creating a Defiance Campaign against apartheid with India. The group started with 10,000 people but gradually increased to 100,000. During this time the government had plans to counterattack the campaign, they permitted martial law and mass arrest. For Nelson’s anti-apartheid movement he was arrested a couple of times. He was convicted of violating the law of communism for his campaign and was given a suspended prison sentence on July 30, 1952, but still received a six month ban from attending meetings. Mandela didn’t give up, he structured a plan ‘Mandela Plan’, the aim was to enable the leading members to maintain the process of contacting members without regular public
Activist, lawyer, father, prisoner, survivor, president, the face of equality. Nelson Mandela has an inspiring story of fighting Apartheid forces and surviving a long prison sentence all in the name of freedom and equal rights. Through Nelson Mandela’s constant fight for freedom of the African people from white apartheid forces, he was dominated by the corrupt government. After uprising numerous riots against apartheid forces, Mandela was sent to jail for twenty-seven years revealing the cruelty that humans can possess. With the strong will power and complete support of the African people, Mandela survived his prison sentence and became the first democratically elected president of South Africa exposing the strength in human nature by showing that humans can persevere through tough times. Mandela left a profound impact on the African people by saving them from corrupt Apartheid rule and bringing a democratic government. Thus teaching the world that in an event where a body of people is suppressed, they will inevitably rebel by any means necessary to gain their freedom.
Nelson Mandela’s commitment to politics and the ANC grew stronger after the 1948 election victory of the Afrikaner dominated National Party, which formed a formal system of racial classification and segregation “apartheid” which restricted non whites basic rights and barred them from government.
Supporting fact one: Whilst president of the African National Congress’ youth league (ANCYL), during which his political party stated: “All people, irrespective of the national group they belong to and irrespective of the color of their skin, who have made South Africa their home, are entitled to live a full and free life.” (http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/nelson-mandela-fight-against-apartheid)
Because of the laws put in place for the areas in which they may live, people were living on top of people. HIV and AIDS were rampant during this time and still very much are. The situations for the blacks where just not good. Around the 1950’s, protests started against this awful system. Civil disobedience was a common recurrence and sometimes they resulted in terrible violence from police. In 1952, the great Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC), traveled the country portraying a message to all blacks called the 1952 Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws. They wanted full citizenship for all South Africans, not just the whites. They did this through strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience, and many other nonviolent methods. Mandela was the leader in all of this to free his people. Thousands were arrested but eventually the ANC had to call off the campaign because the violence was getting so bad. The white police later killed 69 protesters outside of the Sharpeville police station. This made everything worse considering the protest was nonviolent. The struggle of violence continued for years. He traveled across the country to organize these protests against the terrible policies of apartheid and promote the good of the manifesto known as the Freedom Charter. Mandela and another leader of the ANC Tambo, opened up the countries first black
Nelson Mandela in his book, Long Walk to Freedom argues through the first five parts that a black individual must deal, coop, and grow through a society that is hindering their lives' with apartheid and suppression of their rightful land. Rolihlanla Mphakanyiswa or clan name, Madiba was born on July 18, 1918 in a simple village of Mvezo, which was not accustomed to the happenings of South Africa as a whole. His father was an respected man who led a good life, but lost it because of a dispute with the magistrate. While, his mother was a hard-working woman full of daily choirs. His childhood was full of playing games with fellow children and having fun. In school, Mandela was given his English name of Nelson. After his father's death, he moved to love with a regent, who was a well-off individual and owed Nelson's father for a previous favor. The next several years were full of schooling for Nelson. These schools opened Nelson's eyes to many things, which we will discuss later. He and the regent's son, Justice decided to travel to Johannesburg and see what work they could find. They left on their journey without the regent's permission, but eventually escaped his power and settled down in the town. In Johannesburg, Nelson settled down in a law firm as an assistant and went to University of South Africa and Witwatersrand University to further his law education. Witswatersrand University brought many new ideas to Nelson and awakened a spirit inside of him.
Nelson Mandela’s was born in July, 1918 in a small village in South Africa called Qunu, in the Transkei province. His name, Nelson, was given to him during his first day in school at the age of seven. At the time, he was the first of his family to get an education, but African students were given british names. The education in African schools was all related to british culture and thought. Nelson believed that British life was the reigning culture outside of his tribal life. Before Nelson went to school, he grew up in an African tribe; he was born into the tribal clan called Madiba. The clan is part of the Thembu people and a Xhosas speaking community. When Nelson was nine years old his father, who was a tribal chief, passed away and Nelson became the foster son of the paramount Thembu chief, the Regent. The Regent and his family trained Nelson for leadership. Nelson was being groomed to be an advisor to the future tribal chief when he became older. He was influenced by the trials he saw in his tribe led by the chief. Being raised in the traditional African tribal culture protected him from racial discrimination, and later on being confronted with the prejudice apartheid regime in the world outside the clan; it influenced...
He quoted “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people” (Mandela, n.p.). Nelson Mandela wasted no time in prison; he earned his bachelor of law degree from the University of London Correspondence Program. When he was released in 1990, within a year, he was announced the president of the ANC forming a youth league also known as ANCYL-African National Congress Youth League. Also, as challenging as this was, Mandela tried making elections racially undivided and this was a nonsuccess. Anarchy broke out amongst the southern black Africans because they wanted all the power instead of sharing power with the whites, which is what the whites intended. Understanding Mandela, he wanted a peaceful movement and was elected president on May 10, 1994.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom