Tuesday, September 21, 2010

27 Years in prison


Nelson Mandela was an African-American in an African-American land. The problem was that the white man ran the country in spite of the fact that the white population was far less than the African-American population. Apartheid became the rule of the day. It was another word for legal segregation enforced by the National Party government during the years of 1948-1994.

In 1961 Mandela became the leader of new party which tried non-violent protests and later took up arms when they saw that the movement was gaining no ground. They coordinated sabotage campaigns against military and government buildings, trying to make sure that no people were killed in the process. But people did get killed and the guerilla war continued.

The suspects were rounded up and among those caught and charged was Nelson Mandela. He was arrested after living on the run for 17 months and was imprisoned. At the time of his trial, he said: "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all people live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.. It is an ideal which I hope to live for all to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

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