Nelson Mandela Paper
Philipp Lerman
Ms. Dzida
English 2
5/17/13
South Africa’s Hero When most people think of a prominent figure in South Africa one name always comes to mind; Nelson Mandela. Imagine a time in South Africa when, similar to old America, whites held most of the power. Due to the previous conflicts of the European countries in South Africa, there were many Europeans who heavily discriminated against the original African people. This is exactly the type of place Mandela was born into. Born in 1918, his family was part of a common South African clan, where he always enjoyed hearing the elder’s stories. These stories consisted of the black Africans’ struggle against whites during the time of the Boer war (Nelson Mandela Center of Memory). It is because of this individual that the world looks at South Africa the in way it is done today. Nelson Mandela has left his mark on the country, for without him there may not be equality, democracy, and learning opportunities for the black people of South Africa. Being born into one of the most diverse areas of Africa, Nelson Mandela had witnessed first hand discrimination against the black Africans. His father was the head of their clan, and was constantly fighting for the rights of blacks in that area of South Africa as well (Encyclopedia Britannica). It was the sufferings of his people that motivated him to become a lawyer. Mandela had gone to many different universities to study Law, even going outside of the country at times (Encyclopedia Britannica). After finishing law school Mandela, was admitted to the African National Congress, also known as the ANC, which had the main goal of giving more rights to the black South African people. It would be after Mandela joined the ANC, that he would turn South Africa into a racially equal nation. One of the first things that Mandela did when he joined the ANC in 1944 was attempting to banish the pass law, which required blacks to carry around their paperwork with them at all
Ms. Dzida
English 2
5/17/13
South Africa’s Hero When most people think of a prominent figure in South Africa one name always comes to mind; Nelson Mandela. Imagine a time in South Africa when, similar to old America, whites held most of the power. Due to the previous conflicts of the European countries in South Africa, there were many Europeans who heavily discriminated against the original African people. This is exactly the type of place Mandela was born into. Born in 1918, his family was part of a common South African clan, where he always enjoyed hearing the elder’s stories. These stories consisted of the black Africans’ struggle against whites during the time of the Boer war (Nelson Mandela Center of Memory). It is because of this individual that the world looks at South Africa the in way it is done today. Nelson Mandela has left his mark on the country, for without him there may not be equality, democracy, and learning opportunities for the black people of South Africa. Being born into one of the most diverse areas of Africa, Nelson Mandela had witnessed first hand discrimination against the black Africans. His father was the head of their clan, and was constantly fighting for the rights of blacks in that area of South Africa as well (Encyclopedia Britannica). It was the sufferings of his people that motivated him to become a lawyer. Mandela had gone to many different universities to study Law, even going outside of the country at times (Encyclopedia Britannica). After finishing law school Mandela, was admitted to the African National Congress, also known as the ANC, which had the main goal of giving more rights to the black South African people. It would be after Mandela joined the ANC, that he would turn South Africa into a racially equal nation. One of the first things that Mandela did when he joined the ANC in 1944 was attempting to banish the pass law, which required blacks to carry around their paperwork with them at all
Cited: "Biography." Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela Center of Memory, n.d. Web. 20 May 2013. <http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography>. Conley, Robert. "Eight Convicted in South Africa." The New York Times [New York] 12 June 1964: n. pag. Print. "Nelson Mandela." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 May 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/361645/Nelson-Mandela>. Stengel, Richard. "Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership." TIME. TIME, 9 July 2008. Web. 20 May 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1821659,00.html>.