Nelson Mandela's Fight for Freedom and Equality in South Africa

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.

Early Life and the Path to Law

Nelson Mandela had a very happy childhood. He went to the local school and was a good student. But when he was ten years old his father died, and his cousin King Jongintaba told Nelson to come and live with him. When Nelson was nineteen he went to Healdtown College in Fort Beaufort and then he went to live in Johannesburg, where he worked as a policeman. But Nelson wanted to become a lawyer. So he went to law school and later set up the first black law firm in South Africa.

The Struggle Against Apartheid

At this time in South Africa, life was very difficult for black people. There was a system called apartheid. This system enforced severe racial segregation and discrimination. Many black people could not vote, and they could not travel around their country freely. They could only go from their home to work. They had to live in townships with other black people. The land here was not good. They had no running water, no telephones, and no electricity.

Mandela spent a lot of time talking with his friends about life in South Africa. They hoped all people in South Africa would one day be free and equal. Nelson Mandela first became interested in politics when he was at Fort Hare College, and in 1944 he joined the African National Congress (ANC).

The Defiance Campaign and Increasing Severity

Life for black people in South Africa was getting worse all the time. Apartheid laws were getting more severe. The ANC tried to help black people. Mandela told black people not to obey the laws of apartheid. Thousands of people took part in the Defiance Campaign. After this, Mandela was put in prison for a while. But he went on fighting for freedom for black people. In 1960 the ANC was banned.

Imprisonment and Global Solidarity

In 1963 Mandela was put in prison for life. He was sent away to an island where he could not see his family.

During the 1970s and 1980s there were many riots and protests in South Africa. During this time a campaign to free Nelson Mandela also started up. Around the world there were protests. People marched in the streets shouting "Free Mandela!"

Freedom, Presidency, and the End of Apartheid

In February 1990, President de Klerk freed Mandela after 27 years in prison. He said that the ANC and other banned organizations would be legal again. And he said that the government would work on a plan to let all South Africans vote. In 1991 Mandela became president of the ANC, and in May 1994 he was elected President of South Africa. Apartheid finally came to an end. In 1996 a new constitution was signed, giving freedom of speech for all.

A Legacy of Peace

Mandela worked very hard for peace in South Africa. I admire Nelson Mandela very much because he worked so hard for his people and chose to use peaceful methods of protest. He fought to change South Africa into a country where people of different races could live together and have equal rights.