Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa in 1918. He became a lawyer and joined the struggle against apartheid, a system of laws that separated people by race and denied most Black South Africans political rights.
Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years because of his resistance to apartheid. He was released in 1990 and worked with President F. W. de Klerk and many others to negotiate a transition toward democratic elections.
Mandela and de Klerk received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In 1994, South Africans of all races voted in a national election, and Mandela became the country’s first Black president. He promoted reconciliation while acknowledging the harm caused by apartheid. He served one presidential term and left office in 1999.
This Nelson Mandela coloring page shows him beside a blank ballot box, olive branches, and a simple outline of South Africa. Print it for world history, human rights lessons, biography projects, or online coloring.
