Nelson Mandela

By: Kaspar

Figures name: Nelson Mandela Birthdate: July 18, 1918 Date deceased: December 5, 2013 Places lived: Rivonia, South Africa

Main idea: Nelson Mandela was president of South Africa and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He stood up against apartheid, a system of segregation. In his native language apartheid meant “apartness” and he was treated very unfairly due to it. Nelson Mandela protested and worked against apartheid and segregation. In March 1961 Nelson Mandela went into hiding. He hid out with friends and slept during the day and only went out at night. Nelson wanted to keep peaceful protesting but it was not working so well so he had to get more violent. He formed a new group called “umkhonto we sizwe,” or spear of the nation. The new group was reluctant to kill but they were willing to destroy railways and power plants. By doing this he hoped that by messing up the running of the country he could end apartheid. Nelson hid out in Rivonia and to avoid arrest he disguised himself as many different things. On August 5, 1962 the police arrested Mandela. Someone had told the police where he would be at that time. Nobody knows who betrayed him. He was taken away to Robben Island prison in 1963. Robben Island was very harsh on him. They took him to a tiny cell. It was dark and dirty and cold and he was forced to do hard labor. On February 11, 1990 Nelson was released from prison. Some people thought that he would be too old to be involved in politics but he still wanted to work for freedom and to change apartheid. He traveled the world and he thought white and black people could work together. 4 years later he was elected president of South Africa. After so long in prison Nelson did no have much experience running a goverment but he learned fast and made sure to outlaw discrimination of all kinds. He donated most of his money to poor children. Nelson died on December 5, 2013.

Background information: Nelson lived during the time of apartheid and segregation. He also lived through the Sharpeville Massacre. The massacre was when the police shot several bullets into a crowd of protesters. Many people were killed and 5,980 people were arrested. The government insisted that it was an “ordinary police action.” Other people called it a massacre.

Childhood: Nelson's childhood name was Rolihlahla. His fathers name was Jongintaba. He was chief of the Thembu tribe. Like a lot of chiefs he had multiple wives. He also had 13 children. Nelson’s mother was her husband's 3rd wife. Nelson was the oldest of his 3 brothers. At the time South Africa was ruled by the British. Nelson was not treated fairly due to aparthied. Nelson loved to learn and hoped to become a member of the Native Affairs Department. He worked hard at school to become a member. In 1940 Nelson left school. When Jongintaba found out he ordered them to come back. He also wanted him to get married. Nelson did not want to get married yet so he ran away to Johannesburg. Nelson described it as a “vast landscape of electricity”. Soon Jongintaba’s men found Nelson and tried to take him back but Nelson convinced Jongintaba to let him stay. In 1944 Nelson married his friend's cousin Evelyn.

Obstacles and challenges: Nelson went to prison many times and was not treated equally because of apartheid. He also lived through many hardships and losses like the death of his son and his friend.

Fun facts:

Nelson's childhood name (Rolihlahla) meant “tree shaker” or “trouble maker”.

Nelson was a champion at stick fighting.

Character traits:

Resilient: Nelson spent 27 years in prison and still fought for freedom when he was released.

Brave: he got threatened and punished but he stayed calm even when he was in danger.

Determined: he fought for freedom no matter how many challenges he faced.

Significance in today: Nelson changed aparthied and fought for African rights and racial justice. He also encouraged other people to do the same.

Question: I would ask Nelson how he continued to fight for racial justice even when he was faced with challenges.