Nelson Mandela Research Paper

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then, he becomes your partner.”-Nelson Mandela. This is one of Mandela’s best quotes, showing he just wanted peace. For most of the 20th century, South Africa was not a stable country. There was an incredible amount of racism, protests, and police responding to protesters, resulting in many injuries and deaths. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years because he was convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the state because he did not like what was going on. However, he got out of prison in 1990 and was elected president of South Africa in 1994. His winning symbolized a new era for South Africa. He impacted South Africa by promoting peace, not violence. Because he was president, people listened to him rather than when he was imprisoned. He was a terrific leader of South Africa and activists. He also left behind a legacy of his belief that racism was not in South Africa’s best interest (the same for every other country) and that he stood up for it …show more content…
His parents Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela named him Rolihlahla. His name Rolihlahla means “the troublemaker” in Xhosa. He was born in the midst of World War 1, on the same day as the battle of Château-Thierry towards the end of the war, which South Africa was only involved a little. Unfortunately, when Nelson was 12, his father died of tuberculosis and his mother had to raise everyone in the family. He had 12 overall siblings, with 6 half-sisters, 3 half-brothers, and 3 full sisters that his mother raised mostly by herself. His father was a Thembu chief, someone who was a leader of the Thembu people. Mandela was a Christian at an early age, going to Church and was baptized at a Methodist Church. He lived in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, a portion of Southeastern South Africa that is dominantly Xhosa and was also the home of many other politicians in South