Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid is a system of legal racial separation. It was practiced in South Africa for over 4 decades. Apartheid was first legislated in 1948, by the Afrikaner National Party, under Prime Minister Malan. They began to pass laws that prohibited relations between different races, including marraige. Then they began to separate public places and facilities, such as schools and restaurants, and also made it required that all black people older than 16 years old had to carry documents. They eventually took the citizenship of all black citizens of South Africa. People began to go against these policies of apartheid. One of the most famous people to go against apartheid was Nelson Mandela. He became a prominent figure in South Africa while trying to bring racial equality to South Africa. Mandela was a peaceful man, and led non-violent protests against the government, but at the same time, he used guerrila tactics to bring about change. He gained widespread popularity in South Africa, and the South African government had tried to shut him down by throwing him in prison for twenty seven years, but he never backed down. Many people from around the world began to support Mandela. Eventually, Mandela's efforts paid off, because apartheid was completely abolished in 1994, and Mandela was elected president of South Africa.