Nelson Mandela was a great leader who spent his entire life fighting for justice and equality in South Africa. He was the first elected black president of South Africa. He was a controversial figure for most of his life, but that is how his legacy was created. Nelson Mandela, growing up in poverty, challenged to fight apartheid, and helped heal the wounds of the past with tough determination and compassion.
Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His birth name was Rolihlahla which means “troublemaker” in the Xhosa language. His father Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa was the chief of the people in Mvezo. He was the first person in his family to attend school as both his parents were illiterate. His nickname “Nelson” was given to him by his primary school teacher, because she found it hard to pronounce his African name. When Nelson Mandela was twelve years old, his father passed away from tuberculosis. Mandela attended college and graduated from law school at the University of Witwatersrand. Mandela married three times and fathered six children. He had two
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He organized strikes and boycots to fight for voting rights and equality for all black South Africans. Nelson Mandela was quite active in the anti-apartheid protest in South Africa. In 1956, Mandela was arrested for treason, but was later acquitted. But in 1964, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for fighting apartheid. He spent 27 years in prison and was released in 1990. He continued to work hard to abolish apartheid and the growing violence in South Africa. During this time, he also helped to establish multi-racial elections. Apartheid was finally repealed in 1990 and for his work on fighting for the rights of black South Africans, Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in