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FREEDOM HERO:
NELSON MANDELA
by Jeff Trussell
Sounds like some futuristic film, doesn't it? Well, for Nelson Mandela, this was no movie. Growing up in South Africa under the Apartheid system of government meant these things, and worse, were part of daily life. But Nelson Mandela was a fighter. Instead of bowing down to this unjust system of government, he became a lifelong warrior in the battle to free South Africa. Starting out as a leader of an underground political movement called the African National
Congress (ANC), Mr. Mandela played a part in many dramatic demonstrations against the white-ruled government.
Today, thanks to the self-sacrifice of Nelson Mandela, apartheid has been outlawed. Everyone in South Africa now has an equal opportunity at home and at work to live comfortable, productive lives. Nelson Mandela is one of the world's true freedom fighters, and his life and personal triumphs will be remembered long after the world has forgotten the evils of Apartheid.
"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended."
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His career in the ANC was cut short in 1964 when he was sentenced to life in prison. The notorious Rivonia Trial, as his sentencing was called, is now seen as nothing more than a cruel ploy used by the white South African government to silence Nelson Mandela once and for all. But even while in prison, Mandela continued to be a beacon of hope for his people who carried on the struggle against Apartheid in his absence. In 1990, after 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela was
freed. His release marked the beginning of the end for apartheid. In less than five years after his release, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and elected president of South Africa.
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Written by
Jeff Trussell
Photos courtesy of The Mandela Page |
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Mandela: An Audio History aired on NPR Produced by Radio Diaries The Mandela Page Created by the African National Congress. A great resource on Mandela. The African National Congress Links to information about Mandela and his political party Nelson Mandela's hero is Mahatma Gandhi Read all about this Peacemaker Hero in another story by Jeff Trussel The Sacred Warrior: Nelson Mandela wrote this essay about Gandhi for Time. |
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RECOMMENDED
READING | |
 Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela |
 Mandela: An Audio History (CD) by Produced by Joe Richman and Sue Johnson (Radio Diaries) |
 Mandela: From the Life of the South African Statesman by Floyd Cooper |
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| Abraham Lincoln was a U.S president who fought for the abolition of slavery while keeping the country united. | Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist and dissident who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. | Angela Davis is a leader, author, and professor who has fought for decades for human rights. | Art Miki founded the National Association for Japanese Canadians to help redress Japanese rights lost during WWII. |
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| Aung San Suu Kyi has dedicated her life to freeing Burma from a repressive dictatorship and creating democracy without violence. | Bill Bradley once a pro-basketball player now is a politician who advocates reform to make America better for all. | Cesar Chavez was a tireless advocate for migrant farm workers. | Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce tribe in an effort to keep its homeland. |
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| Clara Shortridge Foltz was the first woman to practice law in California. | Constance Motley became the first African-American woman judge on the largest federal trial bench in the US. | Craig Kielburger believes kids can change the world. | Crazy Horse bravely fought for the freedom of the Sioux Nation. |
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| Daniel Pearl was a Wall Street Journal reporter who reported the news with courage, integrity, and intelligence. | Deborah Sampson dressed as a man so that she could fight in America's Revolutionary War. | Declaration of Human Rights established the basis for human rights beliefs and practices all over the world. | Desmond Tutu worked to end apartheid in South Africa. |
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| Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" was the civil rights speech that moved the world | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Congressman John Lewis talks about how Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired him as a young man during the Civil Rights Movement | Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet is known as the 'Mandela of Cuba' because he bravely defends the rights of Cuban citizens. | Eleanor Roosevelt was a champion for freedom and devoted her life to gaining rights for others |
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| Eleanor Roosevelt was a dedicated and strong voice for her husband, FDR, and for the United States. | Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a pioneer in the movement for women's rights. | Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is a leader who is bringing change and hope to Liberia. | Emmeline Pankhurst fought tirelessly for women's suffrage, and succeeded. |
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| Fadela Amara is recognized throughout France as a champion of women's rights. | Frances Ellen Watkins was a prolific author and poet who devoted her life to speaking out against slavery. | Fred Korematsu bravely protested the Japanese-American internment. | Frederick Douglass courageously spoke out against slavery and became a trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln. |
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| George Washington was the first President of the United States. | Harriet Tubman organized the Underground Railroad and helped lead slaves to freedom. | Inez Milholland Boissevain : a brief but spectacular life dedicated to women's suffrage. | Inge Sargent is a Burmese princess devoted to human rights for all. |
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| Iqbal Masih was a brave advocate for child labor laws in Pakistan. | James Reeb risked his own life as a brave civil rights crusader. | Jane Akre & Steve Wilson won the 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize for their courageous journalism. | Janet Jagan was the first female president of Guyana and dedicated her life to building the independence of a nation. |
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| Jessie Daniel Ames worked openly and actively on behalf of racial justice. | John Adams worked as hard for peace for the United States as he did for its independence. | John Lewis has worked for civil rights for all for over 40 years. | Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta is Kerry Kennedy's hero because of his human rights work in East Timor. |
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| Jose Marti is considered the father of Cuba's battle for independence. | Joseph Ki-Zerbo works to help Africans retain control of their country's agriculture. | Joséphine Baker , popular African American dancer in France, fought for civil rights and freedom against the Nazis. | Judy Feld Carr secretly helped thousands of Jews escape from Syria. |
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| Kailash Satyarthi is determined to end child labor practices around the world. | Kofi Annan is an honored freedom and peacemaker hero. | Lyndon B. Johnson was John's great grandfather and the 36th President of the United States. | Malcolm Little known as Malcom X, was a warrior in the fight against racism. |
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| Marian Wright Edelman is one of the country's leading advocates for children. | Martin Luther King, Jr. Peaceful freedom fighter and civil rights activist | Mary Harris Jones worked to free men, women, and children from industrial slavery. | Medgar Wiley Evers worked to end racism in America |
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| Mohammad Hatta was a central figure in Indonesia's fight for independence. | Mohandas K. Gandhi used non-violence to free India from British rule. | Morris Seligman Dees is the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center. | Moses led the Jews from slavery and gave them religious laws. |
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| Nellie McClung believed in equal rights for all women | Nelson Mandela is a peacemaker and a freedom hero. | Nelson Mandela is Muhammad Ali's hero because he understands what it means to fight against enormous odds | Osceola led the Seminoles in their battle for independence. |
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| Paul Revere risked his life for the freedom of the American colonies. | Qasim Amin was a forerunner in the fight for women’s liberation in the Islamic world. | Quaid-E-Azam helped to create the nation of Pakistan and obtain significant political rights for Muslims | RAWA promotes women's rights through non-violent action. |
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| Rev. James Reeb worked for equal rights for all | Reverend Peter Nguyen Van Hung works to end human trafficking of Vietnamese women workers and brides. | Robert F. Kennedy was a voice for the powerless and advocate for human rights. | Roger Nash Baldwin A pioneer in the struggle for civil justice. |
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| Rosa Parks made history when she refused to sit in the back of the bus. | Ruby Bridges bravely led the way to desegregation of schools as a child. | Sir William Wallace was a freedom-fighter for the Scottish people in the early 1300s. | Sojourner Truth born into slavery, worked for the freedom of all. |
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| Susan B. Anthony led the early Women's Suffrage Movement. | Susie King Taylor was a pioneer in the struggle for African American women's rights. | The Dalai Lama is the religious leader of Tibet and an emblem of Tibet's hopes for freedom. | The Greensboro Four protested segregation with a sit-in at Woolworth's lunch counter. |
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| The Little Rock Nine bravely fought discrimination to attend an all white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. | Thomas Jefferson helped the American Colonies achieve independence from Britain. | Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. | Tiananmen Square discuss freedom and democracy at Tian An Min Square. |
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| Vaclav Havel despite censorship, wrote plays that helped keep the hope of freedom alive.... | Varian Fry helped thousands of refugees escape from France during WWII. | W.E.B. Dubois was a leading 19th century writer and scholar. | William Wallace was a late 13th century freedom fighter for Scotland and Ireland |
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| Winston Churchill was one of the first to recognize and warn others of Hitler's danger to freedom and human rights. |
Last changed on:7/12/2006 5:41:26 PM
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