Many of us look up to successful people and admire them, but never really look into what they did to make so many people adore them. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the small village of Mveso South Africa. He was a revolutionary who was a leader in the African National Congress (ANC) and was later thrown in jail for conspiracy to overthrow the government.
After 18 years in prison, he became the president of South Africa in 1994, during which he did many things to end the apartheid system of racial segregation in his country. He became involved with ending segregation because of Walter Sisso. Walter mentored Nelson by encouraging him to join the ANC. Nelson Mandela was a remarkable South African revolutionary leader who became the national president of the ANC Youth League in 1950 and later also became one of the most indigenous South African Presidents of all time.
Firstly, Nelson Mandela was the president of the ANC Youth League where he was an advocate for ending racial segregation in South Africa. Segregation in South Africa was widespread in the 1900s, blacks faced diminished opportunities in finding work and a general sense of exclusion. Nelson Mandela felt that “ To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” (Meah 24).
This quote implies just how anti-apartheid Nelson Mandela is because he feels that to not allow someone their rights is thereby challenging their human existence. For years Nelson and the ANC battled relentlessly against the government for the basic rights that his people deserved. He was intensely motivated by the thought that, “ A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” (“How to Be a Great Leader From Nelson Mandela”).
This quote signifies that a winner is a person who follows their dreams and works constantly to achieve them. Nelson Mandela and 8 of his ANC associates protested so arduously that they were jailed for conspiracy to overthrow the government, but although Nelson was in prison he never stopped believing in his cause, he exclaims, “ When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” (“Nelson Mandela Quotes”).
His words convey that if a man is denied their basic rights then they will do anything in their power to obtain them. All in All Nelson Mandela was an ANC leader who never let any obstacles get in the way of what he believed in.
Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa shortly after his release from prison in February, 1990. He ran because “ There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you have altered.” (Kogan 7). After he was released from jail, discrimination in South Africa was still omnipresent. After Nelson was elected president he abolished apartheid through a series of negotiations with the government and many African organizations.
After segregation was eradicated, Nelson still wasn’t finished. He founded the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, a nonprofit organization which funded newborn children with basic necessities such as food, water, funds, and schooling until they can provide for themselves. He established the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund because “Our children are our future and one of the basic responsibilities is to care for them in the best and most compassionate manner possible.” (Kogan 9).
He proclaims his obligation to provide for his country’s future by aiding poverty-stricken children. He also believes that “ Each of us as citizens, has a role to play in creating a better world for our children.” (“Nelson Mandela Quotes about Children”). This quote further suggests his commitment to alleviating children because he envisions that all people should compose a better world for their children to reside in. Overall Nelson Mandela made countless exceptional reforms for South Africa in which he abolished apartheid and bettered the lives of the children who live in South Africa by founding the Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Fund.
In closing, Nelson Mandela was a propitious revolutionary in South Africa who was the head of a passionate group called the ANC and was also the president of South Africa. As leader of the ANC Nelson rebelled constantly against a corrupt supremacist government and was apprehended for 18 years before he was released and elected president of South Africa where he made many reforms such as abolished apartheid and advocating for children’s rights by instituting his own charitable foundation. Readers should reminisce on the fact that Nelson Mandela dedicated most of his life to fighting for the better treatment of his people.