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Nelson Mandela - Former President of South Africa | Mini Bio | Biography

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In May, 1994 Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president after the country’s first multiracial elections were held.  His goal was to provide for economic and social growth for the black majority that had been oppressed for so long by the system of apartheid.

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History.com Staff. “Apartheid.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/apartheid.

“Nelson Mandela: Biography & Political Leadership.” SchoolWorkHelper, schoolworkhelper.net/nelson-mandela-biography-political-leadership/.

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Mandela assumed an important role in the African National Congress (ANC), a civil rights group.  He also helped form the ANC Youth League in the 1950’s.  He was accused of treason in 1956 but was acquitted in 1961. From 1960-1962 Mandela led the NAC’s paramilitary wing known as "Umkhonto we Sizwe" which translates to “Spear of the Nation.”  He was arrested in August of 1962, convicted of sabotage and treason, and was sentenced to five years in prison. While incarcerated he was again convicted of sabotage and treason and was sentenced to life imprisonment in june, 1964 at the famous Rivonia Trial.

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After learning that his guardian had arranged a marriage for him, Mandela fled to Johannesburg and worked first as a night watchman and then as a law clerk while completing his bachelor’s degree by correspondence. He studied law at the University of Witwatersrand, where he became involved in the movement against racial discrimination and forged key relationships with black and white activists.

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Mandela’s release from prison after 27 years of negotiation  marked the beginning of the end of apartheid in South Africa when he once again became the head of the ANC.  He began the process to form a new constitution in South Africa which would allow political power to the black majority. Finally in 1991 the South African government repealed the laws that had upheld apartheid

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In South Africa, while Apartheid was still in place,  there were many acts of resistance some were even led by Nelson Mandela. These acts included protests, non-violent demonstrations, and eventually armed resistance. In 1963, Nelson Mandela was arrested and thrown in prison. This garnered a lot of attention towards South Africa. As a result of his arrest, the support for the anti-apartheid movement grew.

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Apartheid was a legislation, created by an all white government, that was in place during the 20th century, from 1948 to 1994. It mainly centered on racial segregation and racial discrimination towards non-white South Africans. However, the birth of Apartheid was not the beginning of racial discrimination in South Africa. One example was the 1913 Land Act which forced black africans to live in reserves and also made them unable to get jobs as sharecroppers.

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The first in his family to receive a formal education, Mandela completed his primary studies at a local missionary school. He went on to attend the Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Healdtown, a Methodist secondary school, where he excelled in boxing and track as well as academics. In 1939 Mandela entered the elite University of Fort Hare, the only Western-style higher learning institute for South African blacks at the time.

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Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, into a royal family of the Xhosa-speaking Thembu tribe in the South African village of Mvezo, where his father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa served as chief. His mother, Nosekeni Fanny, was the third of Mphakanyiswa"s four wives. After the death of his father in 1927, 9-year-old Mandela—then known by his birth name, Rolihlahla—was adopted by Jongintaba Dalindyebo, a high-ranking Thembu regent who began grooming his young ward for a role within the tribal leadership.

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Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela  is judged to be one of best political leaders of modern times. Among his many accomplishments are the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for his dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa and establishing democracy there, becoming the president of South Africa in 1994 following their first multiracial elections.