Nelson Mandela, An African Leader
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. He witnessed and experienced many atrocities of the South African government at the time which was called Apartheid (Nelson Mandela, Contemporary Black Biography). Mandela spent a large part of his life fighting to end Apartheid in South Africa, so his people would not have to go through what he went through. Some of the hardships he faced were: discrimination, jailings, harassment by the government, torture, and he faced the constant risk of being harmed or killed the government and or common people who supported Apartheid. He faced numerous obstacles to ending the apartheid system of South Africa. Even though he went through many years in jail he still wanted to help make all
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The ANC as it is commonly called is a political group (considered a terrorist organization by Aparthied). This group sought equal political and social rights for blacks and other minorities in a white-controlled government. Blacks in South Africa made up the majority of the country’s population, however they were governed by whites. They suffered discrimination in housing, education, and employment; they had no voting rights. During a peaceful protest Mandel was arrested for treason and the ANC was declared an illegal terrorist group. The ANC realised their peaceful protests were not working, and moved on to more radical path. Banned from politics, Mandela sought new ways to end the apartheid. His new radical group, called the Spear of the Nation. This was an armed organization that sabotaged government buildings and committed many other heinous crimes. Mandela was arrested once again. ”I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and