Nelson Mandela Research Paper
I. Introduction "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought again white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. (Denenberg 83-85)" These were Nelson Mandela's last words before being sentenced to life imprisonment for recruiting and training for the purpose of sabotage and violent revolution. As a result of love and dedication to both his people and nation, the ideal that Mandela expresses has become reality. Through
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II. The ANC Before Mandela In an attempt to describe Nelson Mandela's transformation of the ANC, one must include a description of the ANC prior to Mandela's involvement. Dr. Pixley Ka Izaka Seme, a young Zulu relative of the Swazi royal family, developed the African National Congress. While studying at Columbia and Oxford Universities, Seme's aspirations were focused on how to rebuild the Zulu nation. He spoke of hopes for African liberation, "Already I seem to see her chains dissolve, her desert plains red with harvest, her Abssyinia and her Zululand the seats of science and religion... (Holland 39)" But upon his return to Johannesburg from London in 1910, he was shocked by the conditions under which Africans lived and worked. He planned to establish a legal practice, but soon saw how few opportunities were available to him as a black lawyer. His voice was hardly heard in the magistrate's courts and his evidence was rarely accepted. Policemen stopped him at corners demanding to see his pass and tax receipt ("How Congress Began"). These experiences enraged Seme, and caused him to put aside his dreams of rebuilding the …show more content…
The Congress of the People, which included all groups opposing apartheid; the ANC, the Indian Congress, the Congress of Trade Unions, and the Congress of Democrats, developed the Freedom Charter. They approached people in cities and villages all over South Africa, asking them what they would do if they could make the laws, or how they would make South Africa a more tolerant society. A committee looked over all of the responses, resulting in a draft of the Freedom Charter. This document was sent to be approved by Mandela and a group of others (Denenberg 50). The document was intended to become a political testimony of the liberation movement in South Africa. As the Afrikaners consistently declared, it as not a blueprint for a socialist state. Rather, it was the blueprint of what many envisioned as an end to all apartheid legislation and the creation of a democratic society that offered political and human rights for all. The end result was now ready to be presented to the Congress of the People. On June 26th, 1955 close to 3,000 delegates and hundreds of spectators gathered at a field a short distance from Johannesburg to begin the Congress, This meeting was the first time such a representative group of races had ever publicly stressed their opposition to apartheid (Schlesinger 43-44). As a result of Mandela's banning, he was disguised, watching the gathering
II. The ANC Before Mandela In an attempt to describe Nelson Mandela's transformation of the ANC, one must include a description of the ANC prior to Mandela's involvement. Dr. Pixley Ka Izaka Seme, a young Zulu relative of the Swazi royal family, developed the African National Congress. While studying at Columbia and Oxford Universities, Seme's aspirations were focused on how to rebuild the Zulu nation. He spoke of hopes for African liberation, "Already I seem to see her chains dissolve, her desert plains red with harvest, her Abssyinia and her Zululand the seats of science and religion... (Holland 39)" But upon his return to Johannesburg from London in 1910, he was shocked by the conditions under which Africans lived and worked. He planned to establish a legal practice, but soon saw how few opportunities were available to him as a black lawyer. His voice was hardly heard in the magistrate's courts and his evidence was rarely accepted. Policemen stopped him at corners demanding to see his pass and tax receipt ("How Congress Began"). These experiences enraged Seme, and caused him to put aside his dreams of rebuilding the …show more content…
The Congress of the People, which included all groups opposing apartheid; the ANC, the Indian Congress, the Congress of Trade Unions, and the Congress of Democrats, developed the Freedom Charter. They approached people in cities and villages all over South Africa, asking them what they would do if they could make the laws, or how they would make South Africa a more tolerant society. A committee looked over all of the responses, resulting in a draft of the Freedom Charter. This document was sent to be approved by Mandela and a group of others (Denenberg 50). The document was intended to become a political testimony of the liberation movement in South Africa. As the Afrikaners consistently declared, it as not a blueprint for a socialist state. Rather, it was the blueprint of what many envisioned as an end to all apartheid legislation and the creation of a democratic society that offered political and human rights for all. The end result was now ready to be presented to the Congress of the People. On June 26th, 1955 close to 3,000 delegates and hundreds of spectators gathered at a field a short distance from Johannesburg to begin the Congress, This meeting was the first time such a representative group of races had ever publicly stressed their opposition to apartheid (Schlesinger 43-44). As a result of Mandela's banning, he was disguised, watching the gathering