Make A Difference Nelson Mandela Essay - 1,893 words

An old woman in South Africa walks along a dirty street, struggles under the weight of her possessions. She is tired and hot, but she pursues her goal. She wants to take advantage of her new privilege before she dies. A busy young man strides down a crowded street in New York City. In his hand he carries a briefcase, which includes some proposals that he plans to work on at home. A short distance ahead of him, he sees a sign VOTE.


He keeps walking past the polls. He says to himself. I am but one in a million. Maybe I will vote later if I can find the time. Although her feet ache, she steps ahead a few more steps.


Here! ! ! Finally, after years of waiting. She sets down her load, bursting with excitement. The pain in her feet has ceased. He reaches his tall, towering apartment building, feeling the strain of the day. Oh well, Ill vote at the next election.


He says. After all he would live for a long time, and his vote would not make a difference in the years to come. His future would not be changed by one lousy vote. Finally, in her old age, after years of fighting for this right, she and many others have voted for the first time. Their country will be changed to help the people, of today and tomorrow. Hell vote when he gets around to it.


He hasnt had to fight for it. Its always been there. Around the world, America is known as the land of opportunity. Yet, we take for granted the one opportunity that can make a difference in our society, the right to vote. We have to look at the black nation of South Africa, which was under white dictatorship for years and years, and was not included in deciding who will be President of their country. The right to vote is a thing to be cherished.


It is something worth dying for. South Africa's citizens right to vote came after years of struggle under white rule know as apartheid. Under apartheid white people held political control with the majority of people living in South Africa having little or no real representation in government, which included the right to vote ("Resistance to, " 2000, para. 1). Americans right to vote also came after years of struggle.


In the early days only a few Americans had the right to vote, except blacks, white women, and those persons who were not landowners or taxpayers (Amamoo & Leiterman, 2000, para. 8). Over the years, states began to eliminate property ownership, the payment of taxes, and ones religious beliefs, as prerequisites to voting. By 1850, these barriers were obsolete in all states, but other significant barriers, specifically race and / or gender, remained. It would take almost one hundred years and several amendments to the Constitution before these barriers were abolished (2000 para. 9).


The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution granted all blacks the right to vote (2000, para. 10). Before apartheid became the official policy, South African had a long history of racial segregation. The African National Congress (ANC) was formed in 1912 as a nonviolent civil rights organization that worked to promote the interest of Black Africans ("Resistance to, " 2000, para. 2). In the 1950 s the ANC was reborn under the leadership of then president Albert Lutuli and his associates, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tab. The ANC actively opposed apartheid and engaged in increasing political combat with the government ("Resistance to, " 2000, para. 2). The organization issued the Freedom charter, which stated that "South Africa belongs to all that live in it, black and white ("Resistance to, " 2000, para. 2).


Robert Sobukwe, a member of the ANC that felt that South Africa belonged only to the Black Africans, formed a rival party, the Pan African Congress, (PAC). Seeking to displace the ANC, the PAC organized mass demonstrations that led to the massacre of black protestors in Sharpeville in March 1960. In response to the demonstrations the government banned both the ANC and the PAC, because the leaders of the organizations expressed the need for the end of apartheid. ("Resistance to, " 2000, para. 3). In 1964, Mandela and Sisulo were sentenced to life in prison for their ANC activities, as well as any other groups the government felt were a threat to them. ("Resistance to, " 2000, para. 4). In 1990, the government lifted its ban on the ANC and other Black African organizations. In that same year Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years by then president F.


W. dealer. President dealer, felt it was time for apartheid to come to an end ("Resistance to, " 2000 para. 13). After his release from prison, Nelson Mandela was elected president of the ANC ("Resistance to, " 2000 para. 14). With the help of dealer, Mandela was able to become one of the candidates for the Presidential Election of 1994 ("Resistance to, " 2000 para. 15) The days of voting were finally here.


Just about everyone went to the polls. Citizens in South Africa of all races and heritage turned out for their countrys first free election. They eagerly descended on thousands of polling places in numbers that clearly astonished election officials, and bewildered the apartheid government and shocked observers. Lines to the ballot boxes looped back and forth, some miles long.


The sun was beating down on the crowd or the rain was coming down on the crowd, trying to scare them off. But, they stayed to accomplish ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: function properly, make a difference, black africans, nelson mandela, south africa

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