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Why was Nelson Mandela sent to prison?

Nelson Mandela (1918– ) was initially tried and sentenced to prison for encouraging black South Africans to go on strike and for illegally leaving South Africa. For most of his life Mandela fought for an end to apartheid (a system of segregation based on race that gave advantages to whites while restricting blacks to labor reserves) in South Africa. He joined the African National Congress (ANC), an organization that promotes the interests of black South Africans, and participated in nonviolent protests, such as work stoppages and using "whites only" facilities to combat apartheid. In 1952 the South African government arrested and tried Mandela and other ANC leaders under the Suppression of Communism Act. As a result he was prohibited from attending meetings or leaving his home in Johannesburg. By 1961 ANC members had come to believe that the South African government would...

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