Nelson Mandela

The foster child of a tribal chief, Nelson Mandela began his opposition to South Africa's government while attending college. He went on to become a lawyer and joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944. For two decades he led the fight against apartheid's racist policies, until he was sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in 1964. The long campaign for his release succeeded in 1990 and the newly legalized ANC elected him their president the next year. His negotiations with President F. W. de Klerk, which won them the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, led to South Africa's first multiracial presidential elections in 1994, which Mandela won. He retired in 1999.

Resources for Teachers and Students

Reflections on Working Towards Peace