Nelson Mandela was born on July 18th, 1918 as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Mandela passed away December 5th, 2013 at the age of ninety-five. He was born in Mvezo, Transkei, South Africa. He was the son of Henry Mphakanyiswa and Nosekeni Fanny. Mandela had several accomplishments and influenced many people throughout his lifetime. Nelson Mandela accomplished several things during his lifetime. Mandela attended Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Wesleyan College where he achieved academic success through his hard work. Later in 1939, Mandela attended the University College of Fort Hare. Forte Hare was the only school that allowed higher learning for blacks in South Africa. Mandela took classes that prepared him for a career in civil service as an interpreter or clerk. In 1942, Mandela became involved in the anti-apartheid movement and became a member of the African National Congress (ANC) political party. His goal was to reach …show more content…
On July 22nd of 1952, Mandela addressed ten thousand people to start his non-violence renaissance campaign, which resulted in going to prison for the first time. Nelson Mandela influenced many people during his lifetime. Again, in 1956, Mandela was arrested for treason for his political advocacy. Sentenced to life in prison for trying to end segregation in South Africa, he served twenty-seven years. While imprisoned, he was able to earn a Bachelor of Law degree through a University of London program. Mandela became a symbol of black resistance which caused an international campaign for his release to occur. In 1990, De Klerk, a white African, released Mandela from prison. He negotiated the end of the apartheid and said, “Mandela was a humane man who was able to understand and soothe the fears of South Africa’s white minority in the transition to democracy”