Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiography of Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa. It begins by describing his early life, in which as well as learning the traditional skills of a Xhosa warrior and cattle-herder, unusually for someone of his background, he went to school, and because he displayed talent for schoolwork, his uncle paid to send him to continue his education at boarding schools. His educational background enabled him to mediate between traditional South African black communities and white ones, as he was educated in both traditions.
Mandela was gradually radicalized as a member of ANC’s Youth League and became involved in civil disobedience as the laws of apartheid became increasingly more restrictive and codified in 1948, and access to education for black people was restricted. Mandela participated in the Defiance Campaign in 1951, in which black people disobeyed apartheid laws by sitting in areas in public transportation reserved for whites, travelling without a permit, and walking in white-only areas.
After being acquitted on charges of treason for his protest activities, Mandela continued to be active in the protest movements. A defining moment for him was March 21, 1960. When the police killed nonviolent protesters in the Sharpeville township, Mandela realized that nonviolent protest was not succeeding. He became part of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), a group aimed at overthrowing the government of South Africa using such tactics as sabotage of infrastructure.
In 1961 Mandela was sent to Robben Island prison, where he continued to work against apartheid and began writing his autobiography. His steadfastness and eventual willingness to negotiate with Botha led to his becoming a hero to the South African people.
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