Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who spent 27 years in prison before becoming the country's first Black president, leading South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy.
Twenty-seven years in prison, much of it on a remote island, turned Mandela into an internationally recognized symbol of resistance well before he ever set foot in his country's highest office.
From Lawyer to Revolutionary
Mandela became involved with the African National Congress (ANC) in the 1940s, initially advocating nonviolent resistance to South Africa's system of racial segregation known as apartheid, before co-founding an armed resistance wing following escalating government violence against peaceful protesters.
Twenty-Seven Years in Prison
Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 on charges of sabotage and conspiracy, spending 27 years in prison, much of it on the notorious Robben Island, becoming an internationally recognized symbol of resistance to apartheid even while incarcerated.
Release and Negotiation
Mandela was released in 1990 amid mounting international sanctions and domestic unrest, and subsequently led delicate, high-stakes negotiations with South Africa's white minority government to peacefully dismantle the apartheid system.
South Africa's First Black President
Mandela was elected South Africa's first Black president in 1994 in the country's first fully democratic elections, forming a government of national unity aimed at healing the country's deep racial divisions.
A Global Symbol of Reconciliation
Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with South African President F.W. de Klerk for their work ending apartheid, and remained a global icon of reconciliation, forgiveness, and moral leadership until his death in 2013.
