Nelson Mandela was a civil rights leader in South Africa that eventually brought equal rights between blacks and whites in South Africa. He envisioned being part of the struggle for freedom of blacks as he grew up listening to his ancestors’ stories about wars of resistance. He was tired of the apartheid rule that provide almost no rights to Africans and almost all rights to whites. The apartheid government ruled South Africa from 1948 to the 1990s. It segregated blacks from whites and placed blacks in ten seperate areas known as the Bantustans in order to prevent blacks from ever unifying into one nationalist organization. It was so racist that even Chris McCandless of Into the Wild could relate to Mendela as McCandless wanted to join in.
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Within the ANC, he helped form the ANC Youth League, which wanted to make the ANC more of a radical mass movement against the apartheid government. The ANC Youth League thought that the ANC’s polite petitioning to the government wouldn’t do anything. But then, in 1949, the ANC officially adopted the Youth League’s ways about strike, boycott, civil disobedience, and non-cooperation. The ANC also embraced goals of redistribution of land, full citizenship, trade union rights, and free education for all …show more content…
In fact, an international campaign was set up to get the South African government to release Mandela. In 1985, President P.W. Both offered Mandela a release in exchange for ending the armed struggle. He declined the offer. No deal was made however until Frederik Willem de Klerk became president. Mandela was finally released in 1990. He had spent a total of 27 years in prison. The ANC was also reinstated and political restrictions were lifted. He then became president of the ANC in 1991. Mandela became heavily involved in negotiations to end all-white rule. Specifically, he negotiated with F.W. de Klerk to have elections involving all races. Amid the conflict among the blacks and white as well as violent uprisings, Mandela and de Klerk were eventually able to eliminate apartheid and have South Africa hold its first democratic election in 1994. The two were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In 1994, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president. As president, he encouraged cohesion between blacks and whites by getting the people to support the national rugby team in the 1995 world cup. Lastly, in 1996 he signed a new consitution promoting a strong central government through majority rule, and it guaranteed freedom of speech and rights for
Within the ANC, he helped form the ANC Youth League, which wanted to make the ANC more of a radical mass movement against the apartheid government. The ANC Youth League thought that the ANC’s polite petitioning to the government wouldn’t do anything. But then, in 1949, the ANC officially adopted the Youth League’s ways about strike, boycott, civil disobedience, and non-cooperation. The ANC also embraced goals of redistribution of land, full citizenship, trade union rights, and free education for all …show more content…
In fact, an international campaign was set up to get the South African government to release Mandela. In 1985, President P.W. Both offered Mandela a release in exchange for ending the armed struggle. He declined the offer. No deal was made however until Frederik Willem de Klerk became president. Mandela was finally released in 1990. He had spent a total of 27 years in prison. The ANC was also reinstated and political restrictions were lifted. He then became president of the ANC in 1991. Mandela became heavily involved in negotiations to end all-white rule. Specifically, he negotiated with F.W. de Klerk to have elections involving all races. Amid the conflict among the blacks and white as well as violent uprisings, Mandela and de Klerk were eventually able to eliminate apartheid and have South Africa hold its first democratic election in 1994. The two were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In 1994, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president. As president, he encouraged cohesion between blacks and whites by getting the people to support the national rugby team in the 1995 world cup. Lastly, in 1996 he signed a new consitution promoting a strong central government through majority rule, and it guaranteed freedom of speech and rights for