Mandela Civil Disobedience

Nelson Mandela was a philanthropist and the president of South Africa. He hated the idea of apartheid and worked on getting rid of it for a good portion of his life. He inspired almost everyone around him because "in the nine years between his release and his stepping down, Mandela delivered peace, stability, and democracy" (Young 11). However, the tactics he used were illegal. The reforms he made in South Africa got rid of most but not all of the segregation. Nelson Mandela used civil disobedience as a key factor in ending apartheid. Mandela’s first step in fighting racism was to make himself known. He decided to promote “the principle of self-determination and passed a Programme of Action that advocated the use of boycotts, strikes, civil …show more content…
This involved the development of the "M-Plan" in 1953, which was the "African National Congress 's blueprint for its underground branches" (Miller 28). This made communication between those working with Mandela much easier and faster. If a member was in trouble, they would alert the others who were a part of the plan and be able to help them. He turned towards violence and created "Umkhonto we sizwe" in 1961, which was a "campaign of sabotage against the government and economic installations were launched" (Miller 28). This campaign was founded in response to the Sharpeville Massacre incident. The Sharpeville Massacre was a memorable event in which African activists went to the police station and rioted about past laws. The police fired shots through the crowd because they saw a huge mass of angry people carrying weapons coming towards them, so they felt the need to protect themselves. This angered Mandela, so he developed the campaign as revenge. Mandela did not realize that he provoked the policemen by having his followers carry weapons. However, he got more weapons and had them ready if in need. Mandela and a few other men were "tried for sabotage, treason, and violent conspiracy, after police discovered quantities of arms at the headquarters of the African National Congress 's military wing, called 'Spear of the Nation, ' of which Mandela had been one of the founders" (Stowards, "Spear of the …show more content…
He got the title of President of South Africa because of his immense efforts. His birth name, Rolihlahla, means "pulling the branch of a tree" (Mandela, Long Walk 3). He kept pulling the government apart piece by piece on the debate over apartheid, so the name fit him well. Mandela was a highly respectable man because of his success in ending the racism, but not everyone focused on the illegal actions he took to get there. He has influenced people today to work towards racial differences through civil