A Person in Hisory That I Admire

A person in History that I admire

After thorough investigation of the stunning piece of writing entitled, “Harriet Tubman: Conductor on The Underground Railroad,” competently written by Ann Petry, I have realized that there are numerous people who were phenomenal heroes and heroines throughout history just like Harriet Tubman. They risked their lives for the safety and well being of others, expressed what they believed in, and never gave up when the obstacles they had to overcome became more and more difficult. Nelson Mandela is one of those people and I robustly admire him and what he did for his people. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. I respect and have high regards for him so much because he is an eminent brave man of not only South Africa but around the world. He wanted his people to feel free, be safe, and treated as equal. He wanted peace, joy and happiness. He accomplished this by bringing the apartheid in South Africa to an end. Essentially, He helped form the first black government of South Africa. He brought the plight of the black people from South Africa by being deemed a terrorist in the United States and imprisoned for over 20 years. He was also arrested for being against apartheid which divided black and white people in South Africa and kept them separate. The black people where 2nd class citizens in their own country to that of the white people. Mandela was jailed in apartheid-era South Africa because he was a member of the African National Congress. The ANC was a militant, anti-apartheid political party. Mandela was one of the leaders that helped end the apartheid era, and was voted as president by the South African parliament. Mandela together with the ANC eventually broke apartheid. He is still alive now at 90 years. He was released from prison in 1986 and went on to become president of South Africa. He is my inspiration because he personifies passion. He has sacrificed his private life and his youth for his people, and remains South Africa's best known and loved hero. Mandela participated actively in politics to oppose the apartheid movement. Seeing the unfairness and discrimination that the Africans were subjected to in South Africa, he strived to end the racial segregation. His whole life is lived in the vision of creating racial equality. Nelson Mandela made sure he accomplished his goal as much as possible. So basically he modeled the way, inspired a shared vision, enabled others to act, challenged the process, and encouraged the heart, which are all 5 parts of leadership. All these qualities, and his peaceful tactics for dealing with the issue, are some of the many reasons why Nelson Mandela was such a great leader. Sometimes we think that having a vision in life means thinking about having a big house, a big car and lots of possessions; there’s nothing wrong with that. However, Nelson Mandela has taught me that your purpose here on Earth is to be a blessing to the rest of society and to never give up until you vision comes to pass. To continue, an important event in Nelson Mandela’s life was when he was captured and convicted of sabotage and treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at the age of 46, initially on Robben Island where he would be kept for 18 years. Confined to a small cell, the floor as his bed, and a bucket for a toilet, he was forced to do hard labor in a quarry. He was allowed one visitor a year for 30 minutes. He could write and receive one letter every six months. But Robben Island became the crucible which transformed him. Through his intelligence, charm and dignified defiance, Mandela eventually bent even the most brutal prison officials to his will, assumed leadership over his jailed comrades and became the master of his own prison. During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom. Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly into his life's work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four decades earlier. In 1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the ANC while his lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, became the organization’s National Chairperson. Nelson Mandela certainly went through a lot of hardship to achieve his dream. This teaches me that you have to fight for your vision. Your journey to seeing your vision come to pass won’t be a walk in the park. You’re going to face many obstacles along the way and individuals who will oppose your movement. Because of that, you have to be conscious about it and not get discouraged at the first obstacle. You have to fight. Break down the walls and breakthrough every time you feel like giving up.
Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison before he was elected President of South Africa. Faced with such a huge setback; he never gave up his vision. Moreover, no one can doubt all of Nelson Mandela’s political achievements. Mandela is a man who stood firm and took his country from the extremes of apartheid through to democracy. For this, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1993). He has achieved more than this though. Nelson Mandela has received more than 250 awards that are in every way honorable. Keys to cities and honorary degrees are among them, along with the peace prize. In any Nelson Mandela interview, you will find him to be a man of humor, honesty and, humility. These are great attributes in any man. In addition, the Nelson Mandela museum is situated near his home of Qunu. Mandela has insisted that this museum should not be a tribute to just his own life, but to the cause he stood for and to uplift and develop the local community. The Nelson Mandela Children's fund supports children in South Africa with the aim to change the way society treats its children and youth. The Nelson Mandela Foundation is a huge organization with the aim to promote a just society built on Mandela's vision and work. Nelson Mandela has certainly lived his life to the fullest but it did not come easy. Before Nelson Mandela successfully abolished apartheid from Africa, he had to face a lot of opposition from individuals and organizations all over the world. I have learned that no matter how ideal your vision is, the fact is that a vision means change for people. Not everyone wants to change because change is uncomfortable. For some, change is outright painful. Although everyone today seems to be supporting Nelson Mandela’s vision and lauding him for his achievements, this was not the case many years before. In summary, I admire Nelson Mandela very much because he made sure he accomplished his goal as much as possible. Mandela once said, “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” He modeled the way, inspired a shared vision, enabled others to act, challenged the process, and encouraged the heart, which are all 5 parts of leadership. All these qualities, and his peaceful tactics for dealing with the issue, are some of the many reasons why Nelson Mandela was such a great leader.