Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest and well known advocates for equal rights. Growing up in racially divided South Africa in the early 1900s, Mandela witnessed the injustices of apartheid and sought to end it. During his journey to desegregate South Africa, Mandela had joined and created equal rights movements, served nearly 30 years in prison, and became the first black president of South Africa. THROUGH ALL THIS, MANDELA HAD THE GOAL OF FREEDOM AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL PEOPLE AND DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO ACHIEVING HIS RIGHTEOUS GOAL. Mandela’s early life was rich with African culture. Nelson Mandela’s original name was Rolihlahla. He was born into the Thembu tribe in the village of Mvezo on July 18, 1918. Mandela’s father, chief of
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They wanted to see all people receive equal opportunity and live life without discrimination. They preached their message throughout the country and hoped others would feel the same and take a stand against inequality and apartheid. However, there were many complications for the activists and many opponents stood against them.
Mandela and 155 other equal rights activists were put on trial for treason on December 5, 1956. In 1960, another incident occurred when police officers opened fire on a crowd of peaceful black protesters in Sharpeville. 69 people were killed and anger and riots occurred due to the tragedy. This unrest pushed the apartheid government of South Africa to banning the African National Congress. In 1961, Mandela and the other activists accused of treason were all acquitted of their crimes. After the tragic events that occurred since his trial, Mandela had decided a more radical approach must be taken towards his …show more content…
His ideals and the fact that he was in prison for them motivated the oppressed people and created an outcry against the racist government. Feeling pressured, the government offered Mandela his freedom in exchange for political compromises but Mandela righteously refused. In 1982, Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison and then put under house arrest in a minimum-security correctional facility in 1988. In 1989, South Africa’s newly elected president, F.W. de Klerk, lifted the ban against the African National Congress and pushed for a non-racist South Africa. On February 11, 1990, President Klerk ordered Mandela’s release from
They wanted to see all people receive equal opportunity and live life without discrimination. They preached their message throughout the country and hoped others would feel the same and take a stand against inequality and apartheid. However, there were many complications for the activists and many opponents stood against them.
Mandela and 155 other equal rights activists were put on trial for treason on December 5, 1956. In 1960, another incident occurred when police officers opened fire on a crowd of peaceful black protesters in Sharpeville. 69 people were killed and anger and riots occurred due to the tragedy. This unrest pushed the apartheid government of South Africa to banning the African National Congress. In 1961, Mandela and the other activists accused of treason were all acquitted of their crimes. After the tragic events that occurred since his trial, Mandela had decided a more radical approach must be taken towards his …show more content…
His ideals and the fact that he was in prison for them motivated the oppressed people and created an outcry against the racist government. Feeling pressured, the government offered Mandela his freedom in exchange for political compromises but Mandela righteously refused. In 1982, Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison and then put under house arrest in a minimum-security correctional facility in 1988. In 1989, South Africa’s newly elected president, F.W. de Klerk, lifted the ban against the African National Congress and pushed for a non-racist South Africa. On February 11, 1990, President Klerk ordered Mandela’s release from