For 26 years, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned by the government of South Africa because of his political views. The nation governed itself under a policy called apartheid or segregation of South Africa into two societies, based on race. White South Africa was generally wealthy, healthy, well-educated, and happy. Black South Africa was terribly impoverished. In the early 1990s, corrupt and unjust governments around the world were yielding to the popular demands of people for a fair society. It was in 1992 when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Shortly thereafter, he was elected president of his nation. But that’s not the end of the story. President Mandela inherited a nation bitterly divided across racial lines. On one side you had the blacks, many of whom demanded retaliation against the minority (but wealthy) whites. On the other side, you had the whites, who feared the new government would be corrupt, petty, and interested only in bringing down the whites. Which side did President Mandela pick? Which side would you pick?
President Mandela did not choose the black or the white side, but instead chose to fight for a
unified South Africa.