Mandela’s Legacy

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question: What does it mean for a country to be a democracy?

2. List Vocabulary
Share some of the challenging vocabulary words in the article (see right). Encourage students to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• reconciliation (p. 19)
• authoritarian (p. 19)
• pernicious (p. 19)
• dissidents (p. 20)
• untenable (p. 20)
• disproportionate (p. 21)

3. Engage
Have students share what they know about Nelson Mandela and his role in ending apartheid in South Africa. Revisit this discussion after the lesson, having students share new insights they’ve gained.

4. Read and Discuss
Ask students to read the Upfront article about Nelson Mandela. Review why the article is a secondary source. (It was written by someone who didn’t personally experience or witness the events.) Then pose these critical-thinking questions and ask students to cite text evidence when answering them:

• What was apartheid? How did it begin? What brought about its end? (Apartheid was the brutal system of racial segregation in South Africa. Its roots go back to the late 1600s and 1700s, when Dutch and British settlers began dominating and segregating the country’s Black population. The White government of South Africa formally codified apartheid in the 1940s and 1950s. Intensified social unrest within the country and boycotts from around the world led the government to end apartheid in 1991.)

• What was the significance of Nelson Mandela’s election as president of South Africa? (Mandela’s election symbolized the end of apartheid. The 1994 election was the country’s first democratic election—and it had nearly 90 percent voter turnout, with about 17 million Black South Africans voting for the first time. In addition, the election marked a peaceful transfer of power from an authoritarian government to a democratic one.)

• What is the A.N.C.? Why are many voters disillusioned with it today? (The African National Congress is a political group that was formed in 1912 to promote racial equality. It helped end apartheid by organizing protests and was the party of Mandela. Today many see it as a corrupt organization that is not doing enough to improve the lives of Black South Africans, who earn on average far less than White South Africans.)

• Why might young Black South Africans be more likely than older Black South Africans to be critical of Mandela? (The unemployment rate—at 61 percent—is higher for younger South Africans. As a result, young Black South Africans might view his legacy as having failed. In addition, they were born after apartheid ended, so they didn’t experience firsthand how the A.N.C. and Mandela helped bring about change in the country.)

5. Use the Primary Sources
Project, distribute, or assign in Google Classroom the PDF ‘A Common Victory,’ which features excerpts from Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration speech from May 10, 1994. Discuss what makes the speech a primary source. (It provides firsthand evidence concerning the topic.) Have students read the excerpts and answer the questions below (which appear on the PDF without answers)..

• How would you describe the tone and purpose of these excerpts from Mandela’s speech? (The tone can be described as celebratory, unifying, and inspiring. The purpose is to commemorate the historic moment of South Africa’s first democratic election and to set a vision for what South Africa should be.)

• What is the “newborn liberty” Mandela refers to at the beginning of the speech? Why does he describe it as a “common victory”? (The newborn liberty is the  equality granted to Black citizens of South Africa with the end of apartheid. Mandela describes it as a common victory because of the worldwide pressures to end apartheid. Earlier in the speech, he acknowledges the celebrations happening around the world in honor of his election—which symbolized equality in the new South Africa. In addition, he conveys that it’s a common victory because the world can’t claim to have justice, peace, and human dignity if one part of the world does not have those things.

• What idea does Mandela emphasize by repeating “for all” at the end of his speech? (Mandela emphasizes the idea that all citizens in South Africa will be free and equal, enjoy peace, and have opportunity. With the repetition, he also reinforces the ideas he established earlier: that South Africans should unite, and that White South Africans should not fear retribution.)

• What is Mandela’s vision for South Africa? (Mandela’s vision is that it will become a shining example of democracy—with no poverty, suffering, or discrimination. And as such, it will strengthen the world’s “confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all.”)

• Based on the Upfront article and this excerpt, were Mandela’s aspirations for South Africa met? (Students may note that some of Mandela’s aspirations for his country were met. Today South Africa has strong participation in its democratic elections, a respected judicial system, and an industrialized economy. But there is still inequality and poverty, and there is widespread corruption in the government.)

6. Writing Prompt
Many feared that South Africa would erupt into a civil war in the 1994 election. Why were people fearful? Why do you think the elections were peaceful? Explain in a brief essay.

7. Quiz
Use the quiz to assess comprehension.

8. Classroom Debate
Can an unequal society truly be a democracy?

9. Multimedia Presentations
Have small groups research countries that put pressure on South Africa to end apartheid. Each group should pick one country to focus on and create a multimedia presentation explaining how that country exerted pressure. Have groups take turns sharing their presentations with the class.