Nelson Mandela was South Africa's first black president. He was born on July 18, 1918 in a region of South Africa called Transkei. His tribal name was Rolihlahla. He was from a Xhosa-speaking tribe called the Tembu. Nelson received a good education at Fort Hart College, while studying law. In 1940 he was expelled because of participation in a strike against the living conditions of the university. He then came back home only to find out that there was an arranged marriage set up for him. Because he did not want to get married, Nelson ran off to Johannesburg. That's when Nelson started to really fight against apartheid, which was the segregation and discrimination of blacks in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela fought against apartheid in South Africa. In 1944, Nelson and two of his friends, Walter Sisulu and Tambo, joined the A.N.C. (African National Congress). In 1951 Nelson had become the...