.Short Biography:

Nelson Mandela was an important leader in South Africa. He was born in 1918.He was raised by his father and then by his legal guardian after his father's death when he was 12 years old. During his adolescense Nelson Mandela became a political activist. He and his friends became active in fights against the oppressive nature of the South African Government. He joined the ANC, African National Congress, in 1944. Throughout the next years to come, Nelson found himself caught between persuing his political aspirations and becomming one the the only black legal attourneys in South Africa at the time. At the same time all this was happening the south african government was practicing a brutally oppressive polcy called Apartheid. In the apartheid policy, black and other non-white South Africans were severly oppresed politically and economically. Apartheid acts such as the Population Registration Act legally classified its population by race. Other acts reserved entire professions for white people only.

This site contains good information about South African History>
During the 1950's Mandela became president of the ANC ANC Website in the Transvaal area of South Africa. The ANC was quickly banned from South Africa by being deemed communistic under the Supression of Communism Act. This outraged the ANC and Mandela. The anger only made him fight harder for what he believed in, a racially equal South Africa, a South Africa not dominated by righ white people. While continuing his anti-Apartheid struggle, Mandela was arrested along with over 100 other members of the ANC who had been operating underground.

Throughout the next 30 years Mandela remained in jail but kept up his struggle against the Apartheid policy. Mandela refused deals from government officials to be released if he would vow to stop the ANC's now violent struggle against Apartheid. Mandela faced his own problems while in jail with helath problems such as tuberculosis. Even in ill helath Mandela never gave up on his struggle for a racially equal South Africa. As the 1990's approached, The government in South Africa was at an all time weakness. The current president was in terrible health conditions. The replacement president, De Klerk , met with Mandela right away to discuss the end of Apartheid. De Klerk's first moves were to unban all political parties of South Africa and release prisoners jailed for political beliefs. Nelson Mandela was released from jail on February 11th, 1990. Mandela quickly became a key figure, next to De Klerk, in altering the constitution in South Africa to completely rid the country of the Apartheid Policy. Mandela and De Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in South Africa. Soon after Mandela was elected President of South Africa. He served until 1999, Thabo Mbeki took over his role as leader of South Africa, and is still the leader to this day.

.Accomplishments:

Some of the greatest accomplishments of Nelson Mandela were Winning the Nobel Peace Prize along side of President De Klerk for their efforts in liberating the non white citizens of South Africa, Becomming one of the only black practicing attorneys in South Africa while he grew up, and persuing his political aspirations untill eventually becomming President of South Africa and ridding the nation of the Apartheid Policy.

.Faith:

I think Mandela was truly a man of faith. As a young man he realized the need for change in South Africa. Throughout his life he never gave up on his dreams. He had faith in the South African people, enough faith to go to jail for. Even while in jail he never gave up. He refused offers of freedom in exchange for a stop of his struggle. Nelson Mandela valued the freedom of the entire people of South Africa, over the freedom of his own life. To me, that truly makes him a man of faith.

.Sources:

Lindsay Michie Eades, The End of Apartheid in South Africa ; GreenWood Press Westport,Conn,1999; 157-158.
Biography of Nelson Mandela
Very Informative site about South Africa
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