Nelson Mandela, was a South African man (later on to be Politician/Human rights leader) born on the 18th of July in 1918 in Transkei, South Africa. He was the first ever black South African to become president of the country. His goals were for Black people, Indians and white people all to have equal rights, not just white people. He had plans to taking over the corrupt white government, the Apartheid. He joined in 1944 and was a part of the Armed National Congress (ANC). After the ANC was banned in 1960, he set up the armed military wing of the ANC, the Umkhonto We Sizwe. He was a militant anti-apartheid. Originally Mandela started working peacefully against the Apartheid, but was arrested and went on trial for treason in 1956 along with 150 others, and eventually set free. He led an armed resistance that used techniques such as the destruction of government property to fight against apartheid. It was for these acts that he was arrested and imprisoned for in 1962, with five years of hard labor. During his time in prison he was influenced and his peaceful idea’s changed. Mandela was arrested many times in his life; mainly for involvement in the overthrow of the Apartheid. with the help of his wife. Over time things began to change, the Apartheid were not so bad, however there was still violence between the ANC and the South African Government.
In 1989 a new president was elected; F.W de Klerk. Klerk decided that things must change in South Africa and that black people, white people and Indians must have equal rights. A proposal was made to Mandela by Klerk, to be freed from prison if he were to help change South Africa. Mandela agreed without hesitation and was freed from prison in 1990. He became the head of the ANC.
In 1993 both Klerk and Mandela won a Nobel peace prize, for stopping the Apartheid and changing South Africa for the better. They made Black people, white people and Indians all have equal rights. In 1994 Mandela became the President of South Africa, also the first black President of South Africa, at the age of 74.
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