Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in Transkei, South Africa. As a young man he was determined to make a contribution to his people's struggle for freedom, so in 1942 he joined the African National Congress (ANC), an organization that had been founded in 1912 to fight the racist policies of the government. With the ANC, Mandela traveled the country organizing nonviolent protest. During this time he was banned, arrested, and imprisoned for his activities. He also earned his law degree and with his partner, became one of the first two blacks to practice law in South Africa.

In 1960 the ANC was outlawed and Mandela, who had become a leader of the group, had to go into hiding. From underground, he organized a strike for all blacks in South Africa to demand that the government create a new, democratic constitution. When the government responded with military force, Mandela realized the only way to fight back was to be prepared for violence. He formed a military wing of the ANC called Umkhonto we Sizwe. As commander-in-chief, Mandela left the country in 1962 to arrange guerrilla training for his soldiers—but on his return, he was arrested. While in prison, he was charged with treason and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mandela was in jail for nearly thirty years. He was released in 1990. On May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela entered office as the first democratically elected president of South Africa and served until June 1999.