Research Paper On Nelson Mandela

This statement said by Robert F. Kennedy is a precise exemplification of the true hero that was Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela’s life was devoted to curtailing and subsequently bringing an end to the South African government’s apartheid system, and all other forms of racial inequality and segregation present in South Africa. It is for this reason, amongst many others, that Nelson Mandela is venerated as one of the most prominent and acclaimed universal apostles of peace and egalitarianism.

Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Mvezo, a city in Transkei, South Africa, on July 18, 1918. At this time, apartheid had not been entirely enshrined as a law (Adams par. 5). His father, Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla “Henry” Mandela, was the chief councillor to

Being brought up as the son of a Thembu chief, Nelson learned how to be an equitable and nonpartisan leader. As a child, Nelson was tasked with plowing fields, herding cattle, and tending sheep. These tasks demanded Nelson’s development of greater responsibility and authority, and would later contribute to his success as a leader. Nelson also developed a sense of political consciousness from a young age. There were two cardinal contributors to Nelson’s political consciousness. The first was listening to the elders of the village discuss African history. When Nelson was very young, he would listen to the orations of the Thembu elders regarding the noble African traditions prior to European colonial invasion and the valiant struggles of resistance to European colonial rule. These discussions were instrumental in enlightening Mandela about inequality and racism, and would later lead him to be a tenacious advocate of egalitarianism and anti-apartheidism. The second contributory aspect to Nelson’s political consciousness came about in his teenage years, when the white minority South African government passed laws which had detrimental effects on the black South African population. Overall, these laws restricted movement and daily lives of Africans and increased the expropriation of African land, leaving the African majority population of 80% with a mere 12.7% of

Mandela’s ardent beliefs revolved around anti-apartheidism. Mandela was a fervent believer in racial equality and peace, and these beliefs were manifested through his political activism. Nelson’s initiation into political activism began in 1940 while he was earning his bachelor of arts degree at Fort Hare College. After a year of earning his degree, Mandela became a member of the Student’s Representative Council. As a member of the Student’s Representative Council, he was expelled from school on the grounds of participating in a boycott to protest the reduction of the council’s powers by authorities (Frederick). This marked the first public demonstration of Mandela’s involvement in political activism and many civil acts of recalcitrance. Subsequent to his expulsion, Nelson returned to Johannesburg, but left forthwith in order to avoid an arranged marriage thereby abnegating his chieftainship. The following year, with the encouragement of Walter Sisulu, Nelson joined the African National Congress, the best-established black political group in South Africa, and a multiracial, anti-apartheid organization founded in 1912 (Magill 1437-438). This heralded the beginning of Mandela’s perennial struggle to establish justice and equality throughout South African