Julia Curtiss and Haily Francis

Mrs. DeVito

ELA 3-4 H P.6

8 March 2018

Outliers Project Outline: Nelson Mandela

I. Introduction

A. “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are

dedicated to and passionate about what they do,” (Durando). A quote from Nelson

Mandela.

B. Thesis- Based off of our research, Nelson Mandela fits Gladwell’s theory of being

an outlier because of demographic luck and being born at the right time.

II. Early life

A. Family- Nelson Mandela was born into a into a royal family of the Xhosa-

speaking Thembu tribe on July 18th, 1918 in the small South African village of

Mvezo in the Transkei, a former British protectorate. According to the New York

Times, he was originally born as Rolihlahla Mandela which translates as

“troublemaker” and was given his more familiar name, Nelson, by a teacher at

age 7. Nelson Mandela’s mother, Nosekeni Fanny, was his father’s third out of

four wives and he had nine sisters and three brothers (Delviscio, Fisher, Allert,

Sinha).

1. Thembu tribe - Bantu-speaking people who inhabit the upper reaches of the

Mzimvubu River in Eastern province, South Africa. The Tembu speak a dialect of
 Xhosa, a Bantu language of the Nguni group that is closely related to Zulu

(Brittanica).

2. Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa- Nelson Mandela’s father. He was the tribal chief of

Mvezo but died in 1928 at the age of 48 because of tuberculosis (Gadla Henry

Mphakanyiswa).

A. Education- Nelson Mandela was the first in his family to receive a formal

education. In 1925, he attends a local missionary primary school. Then in 1934,

he went on to attend Clarkebury Boarding Institute, then Healdtown (the

Wesleyan College at Fort Beaufort) in 1937. Afterwards, he enrolls at the

University College of Fort Hare, in Alice in 1939 but according to the Nelson

Mandela Foundation, he was expelled in 1940 for participating in a boycott

against university policies. In 1942, he completes his BA through the university of

South Africa and in 1943, he graduates with a BA from Fort Hare and enrolls for

an LLB at Wits University (Timeline).

III. Middle life

A. African National Congress- Nelson Mandela’s commitment to politics

and the ANC grew stronger after the 1948 election victory of the

Afrikaner-dominated National Party, which introduced a formal system of

racial classification and segregation—apartheid—that restricted

nonwhites’ basic rights and barred them from government while

maintaining white minority rule. (Britannica)

B. The armed resistance movement- In 1961, Nelson Mandela co-founded

and became the first leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the

 Nation”), also known as MK, a new armed wing of the ANC. MK

launched a sabotage campaign against the government, which had

recently declared South Africa a republic and withdrawn from the British

Commonwealth.

C. Time in prison- Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, from November

1962 until February 1990. Formerly committed to nonviolent protest, he

began to believe that armed struggle was the only way to achieve change.

1. Nelson Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for 18 of his 27

years in prison. During this time, he contracted tuberculosis and, as a

black political prisoner, received the lowest level of treatment from

prison workers. (Britannica)

2. While incarcerated, Mandela was able to earn a Bachelor of Law

degree through a University of London correspondence program.

D. Marriage- Nelson Mandela was married three times, first marriage to

Evelyn Mase where they had 4 children and 2 children with his second

wife Winnie Madikizel and his third wife, Graca Machel. Nelson Mandela

married three times and fathered six children. He also had 17

grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. (Nytimes)

IV. Later life

A. Released from prison- He established a number of organizations,

including the influential Nelson Mandela Foundation and The Elders, an

independent group of public figures committed to addressing global

problems and easing human suffering.

 1. In 2002, Mandela became a vocal advocate of AIDS awareness and

treatment programs in a culture where the epidemic had been cloaked

in stigma and ignorance

2. Mandela published an autobiography titled “Long Walk to Freedom”

which he secretly wrote while in prison. He also published a number

of books on his life and struggles, among them “No Easy Walk to

Freedom;Nelson Mandela: the Struggle is my Life” and “Nelson

Mandela's Favourite African Folktales”.

B. Nobel Prize- In 1993, Nelson Mandela and President de Klerk were both

rewarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work towards dismantling

apartheid in South Africa. After Mandela’s release from prison, he

negotiated with President F.W. de Klerk toward the country's first

multiracial elections. White South Africans were willing to share power,

but many black South Africans wanted a complete transfer of power. The

negotiations were often strained, and news of violent eruptions.

(Britannica)

C. Presidency-On April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first democratic

elections. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first black

president on May 10, 1994, at the age of 77.

1. He also introduced numerous social and economic programs designed

to improve the living standards of South Africa’s black population.

 2. As president, Mandela established the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission to investigate human rights and political violations

committed by both supporters and opponents of apartheid between

1960 and 1994. (History channel)

D. Battle with cancer- In 2001, Nelson Mandela was diagnosed with prostate

cancer. and weakened by other health issues, Mandela grew increasingly

frail in his later years and scaled back his schedule of public appearances.

V. Conclusion

A. Why is this information important and why does it matter? This

information is important to know because it gives information on the

various opportunities that were present in Mandela’s life and allowed him

to be successful. It matters because Nelson Mandela made a huge impact

on the political and social life in South Africa and had changed it for the

better.

B. How does it connect to Gladwell’s theory? It connects to Gladwells theory

because since Mandela was born into a royal family as the son of a chief,

he learned leadership qualities and had the opportunity to receive a higher

quality of education. He was born at the right time when apartheid was

common in South Africa but there wasn’t much being done and it was also

demographic luck because if he had lived anywhere but in South Africa or

been born to a different tribe in Africa, then he would not have had the

same opportunity or access to fight the issue.

 Works cited:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Nelson Mandela.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 Dec. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Nelson-Mandela.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Tembu.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 27 Nov. 2014, www.britannica.com/topic/Tembu.

Delviscio, Jeffery, et al. “The Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela: 1918-2013.” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 5 Dec. 2013,
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/05/world/africa/Mandela-
Timeline.html#/#time216_6691.

Durando, Jessica. “15 Of Nelson Mandela's Best Quotes.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information
Network, 6 Dec. 2013, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/12/05/nelson-mandela-
quotes/3775255/.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story Of Success. New York : Back Bay Books, 2011. Print.

History.com Staff. “Nelson Mandela.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009,

www.history.com/topics/nelson-mandela.

“Spokeo People Search | White Pages | Find People.” Spokeo, www.spokeo.com/Gadla-

Mphakanyiswa/Famous-Militant.

“Timeline – Nelson Mandela Foundation.” Nelson Mandela Foundation,

www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/timeline.