NELSON MANDELA 1918 POLITICAL LEADER AND ACTIVIST MANDELA NELSON 1918 CIVIL RIGHTS/EQUALITY REGION AFRICA GLOBAL RELATIONS NELSON MANDELA WAS BORN INTO A ROYAL FAMILY OF THE TEMBU PEOPLE IN TRANSKEI SOUTH AFRICA IN 1942 HE EARNED A LAW DEGREE AND WORKED AS A LAWYER IN JOHANNESBURG IN 1944 HE JOINED THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS ANC FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS HE DIRECTED A CAMPAIGN OF DEFIANCE AGAINST THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RACIST POLICIES MANDELA WAS ARRESTED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE 1950S FOR ORGANIZING STRIKES AND OTHER RESISTANCE TO WHITE MINORITY RULE IN 1964 MANDELA WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR SABOTAGE TREASON AND ATTEMPTING TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT MANDELA CONTINUED TO BE A POWERFUL SYMBOL OF BLACK RESISTANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA EVEN WHILE IN PRISON DURING THE 1980S A COORDINATED INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN SOUGHT HIS RELEASE MANDELA WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON IN 1990 AFTER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK LEGALIZED THE ANC REMOVED RESTRICTIONS ON BLACK POLITICAL GROUPS AND SUSPENDED EXECUTIONS MANDELA WAS ELECTED HEAD OF THE ANC AND BEGAN SHAPING IT INTO A POWERFUL POLITICAL PARTY IN 1991 MANDELA BEGAN PARTICIPATING IN NEGOTIATIONS IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A MULTIRACIAL GOVERNMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA IN 1993 MANDELA AND DE KLERK WERE AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IN 1994 MANDELA WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT IN SOUTH AFRICA'S FIRST TRULY DEMOCRATIC ELECTION
