The life of a legend, Nelson Mandela dedicated his whole livelihood to his country and improving it for his people, and for future generations. Though it was no easy feat, Mandela was able to end the apartheid and continued to positively impact his country for the better. A highly dignified man who represented global peace, change, and freedom, couldn’t have gone far without his credibility. Mandela established his legitimacy through fighting to change injustice by joining the ANC to protest the South African apartheid and laws, and sacrificing 27 years of his life in prison for his people and political views. Mandela was then able to maintain his legitimacy by becoming president of South Africa and uniting his people through sports. He was …show more content…
What they didn’t predict was while in prison for standing up against the government, Mandela would continue to motivate and educate his fellow inmates and guards on the changes that needed to occur within the country. The teachings became so popular that the prison was known as the ‘university behind bars’, and prisoners were educated on both politics and academics. When the warden and government found out about Mandela’s teachings, he became frequently acquainted with isolation, where the officials incorrectly assumed it would end his defiance against the law. In addition to isolation, the government attempted to reduce Mandela’s mental strength with harsh living conditions, extreme work labor, and no reading materials; all of which failed to weaken his internal strength. He remained strong and and unmoving because he knew that he was giving up 27 years of his life for a higher purpose. Mandela voiced to his people that “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”, and he stood behind his words. Prisoner 46664’s (Nelson Mandela’s prison number, he was the 466th person to enter the prison in 1964) leadership was prominent within the prison walls, that even the guards moved at his pace. On numerous occasions, the South African president offered Mandela his freedom in exchange for his political silence, but each offer was denied because Mandela “...refused to put his own freedom before that of others and before the goals of the movement.” Such actions on made the S. African community respect and believe in Mandela’s ultimate goal of freedom more and