StudyMoose App
24/7 writing help on your phone
Save to my list
Remove from my list
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (AKA Madiba), was one of the people in the Xhosa nation, primarily in the Thembu tribe. He was born in the tiny village of Mvezo, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa on July 18th, 1918 to the Thembu chief. His middle name, Rolihlahla, means troublemaker in Xhosa. No one knew it yet, but what lay ahead of young Mandela was a hard, long journey to freedom.
He was destined to become one of the greatest leaders in history. We will now look at what impact he had on his country and everywhere else.
When he was a child, he moved from Mvezo to Qunu and began herding his family's sheep. He and his friends swam in the rivers, stole honey from beehives, and played and Xhosa boy's favorite sport, stick fighting. At age 7, his father saw fit that he should go to school.
4.7 (657)
“ Really polite, and a great writer! Task done as described and better, responded to all my questions promptly too! ”
His clothes were a pair of his father's trousers cut off at the knee with a simple cord belt. None of the other pupils wore fancy or smart clothes either, so he fit right in. At the time, the schools were run by the English, so they gave him and his classmates new English names. His was Nelson. At age 9, his father died, and he was sent to live with the king of the Thembu tribe, who was a close friend to Nelson's father.
Chief Jongintaba, who was very wealthy, and he even had a car. Back then cars were only reserved for the wealthy and the white people. He lived in a big house which he called the Great Place. His mother would often come by and visit, and he would be overjoyed to see her again. Uncle Jongi's son, Justice, was a few years older than Nelson, but nevertheless, the became friends very quickly. At age 16, Uncle Jongi sent both Nelson and Justice to Clarke bury boarding school. Then they both went to Herald town, which was the biggest school for colored children in Africa.
During his adult life, he enrolled himself in law and met a new friend named Oliver Tambo. He was even elected to sit on the student council. He refused to sit on the council without the student's approval. The principal was very mad at him and threatened to expel him if he did not agree with him. After that, he never went back to university. After that fiasco, he went back home to find out that he was getting married to a prearranged wife. He and Justice did not like that at all, so they took their uncle's car, and drove to Johannesburg.
Johannesburg was 700 kilometers away, that's the equivalent to 435 miles! In Johannesburg, he met his old friend Tambo, who was also studying law, and they opened up the first ever colored law firm in South Africa. But Nelson thought that there was another way to inspire the lives of black people. He joined the African National Congress (ANC). They protested having to carry passports wherever they wanted to go. If they were found without them, they would be thrown in jail. Then he went abroad under a fake name and recruiting young boys to the ANC Youth Program. When he came back home, he was arrested for multiple crimes, and for working with the ANC when the government specifically told him not to. Inside the cell, it was so cramped, when he laid down, he could touch the walls of the cell. On Robben Island, ( which is a maximum security prison), they were only allowed two visitors a year
Who was Nelson Mandela?. (2019, Dec 01). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/who-was-nelson-mandela-a-what-was-his-purpose-ii-example-essay
👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!
Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.
get help with your assignment
