Nelson Mandela Biography (Essay Sample)

Nelson Mandela
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Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was a South African Nationalist and the first President of independent South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was born on August 18th, 1918, In Mvezo, South Africa. His struggle and journey of life was mainly the fight against the Apartheid rule in South Africa, which was characterized by the white supremacy regime's sufferings and mistreatment of the Black community. He showed the world that everything that seemed impossible could be possible one day; therefore, giving up is the last thing that a person should think of to achieve the success they need.
Mandela's journey to an active role in politics and activism began after completing his law study at WITS University. He was the first lawyer to initiate a black law firm in a country dominated by racial segregation. He joined African National Congress, a movement that advocated for the civil right of all black South Africans. In 1948, segregation became a national law when the ruling government adopted apartheid (Olesen, 2015). During the regime, Africans were not allowed to interact with whites or share facilities and social amenities. Africans were pushed to black zones and forbidden from entering into interracial relationships. They were also removed from voter roll and therefore were not allowed to participate in any democratic process. Nelson Mandela, Having a clear conscience and understanding of the importance of freedom, did not take the move lightly. It is one factor that inspired him to engage in activism to liberate the country from apartheid rule.
His activism involved nonviolent strikes, despite the heavy force used by the regime to quell the protest. It led to Nelson Mandela and others being arrested. He and the other 155 members were charged with treason. This made him be sentenced to life imprisonment from 1964, a journey that lasted for 27 years without seeing any family member. While in solitude, Mandela did not just give up. Instead, he continued with activism on anti-apartheid and inspired the rest of the ANC members to continue with the movement. His publications became popular and drew the international communities' atten