Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela, First Black President of South Africa

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on on July 18, 1918, in a small village near Umtata. The son of the Paramount Chief’s principal councilor, Mandela became the ward of the Chief when his father died. Although he had the opportunity to succeed the Chief, he opted for law school instead, the African National Congress Web site explains.

Mandela began his college education at the University College of Fort Hare, but was suspended for participating in a protest. Mandela finished his undergraduate studies via correspondence courses, and began his political career by joining the African National Congress (ANC) in 1942. He spent many years in various campaigns and nonviolent protests, but when the ANC was banned, he determined that military action was the only solution, according to the ANC Web site.

Soon after abandoning nonviolent protest, Mandela was imprisoned and given a five-year jail sentence beginning in 1962. In 1963, he was tried while still in jail, during the Rivonia Trial. As Encyclopedia Britannica explains, Rivonia was a Johannesburg suburb where a stash of weapons owned by the ANC’s military branch was discovered. After Mandela pleaded guilty to founding the branch, known as the “Spear of the Nation,” he was sentenced to life imprisonment at Robben Island.

Although the Rivonia Trial resulted in Mandela’s jail sentence, his famous speech on the dock thrust him into the international spotlight, The Observer noted in 2001. In this speech, Mandela told the world that he was “prepared to die” to see his dream of equality in South African realized.

Eventually, the South African government, under President Frederick W. de Klerk, freed Mandela in 1990.

The Nobel Prize Internet Archive states that Mandela was imprisoned for “plotting to overthrow the government,” but was freed by that government in 1990 and became president of the ANC. Joining forces with his liberator, President de Klerk, Mandela devised a strategy for transitioning out of the apartheid that earned both him and President de Klerk the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

In May 1994, the first free elections to include both blacks and whites were held in South Africa, and Mandela was elected president. He stood before the crowd, the Los Angeles Times reported, stating that it was “a joyous night for the human spirit.”

Toward the end of his presidency, Mandela established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to investigate the crimes committed by both sides during apartheid. During the investigations, the BBC reported that Mandela's wife, Winnie, was involved in numerous murders and allowed assault and mutilation to take place in her home.

Time magazine named Mandela one of its 100 Greatest Leaders in 1998. Although the magazine addressed the way in which Mandela, as president, struggled to live up to the mythic persona he generated in prison, author Andre Brink concluded, “Through his willingness to walk the road of sacrifice, he has reaffirmed our common potential to move toward a new age.”

On his 88th birthday, The Guardian reported that Mandela had all but faded from politics. He had difficulty getting along with his successor, Thabo Mbeki, and a recent Mbeki biographer explains, “Mandela was treated like a difficult and bothersome old man who should go away.” Mandela continued to stay active in charities, however, and although many mourned the loss of his political opinions, others speculated that he was simply aging. He expressed a desire to spend more time relaxing, saying, “I am confident that nobody ... will accuse me of selfishness if I ask to spend time, while I am still in good health, with my family, my friends and also with myself.”

Robben Island, where Mandela had been sentenced to life imprisonment, is now a museum and education center. While Mandela was there, he led an initiative to offer education for inmates. According to its Web site, “Robben Island came to symbolise, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity.”

In 2008, the Nelson Mandela Foundation celebrated Mandela’s 90th birthday with a vast array of notable speakers and events. Visit the Foundation's Web site to learn more about the variety of activities and events that took place to commemorate Mandela's birthday.