Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

by

Nelson Mandela

African National Congress (ANC) Term Analysis

The ANC, which Mandela joins and eventually becomes president of, is the major political party in South Africa opposed to apartheid. It was a multi-racial coalition that aimed to incorporate all opponents of apartheid, and for much of its existence, it was illegal because the White South Africans in the government believed it was dangerous.

African National Congress (ANC) Quotes in Long Walk to Freedom

The Long Walk to Freedom quotes below are all either spoken by African National Congress (ANC) or refer to African National Congress (ANC). For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism and Division Theme Icon
).
Chapter 24 Quotes

My devotion to the ANC and the struggle was unremitting. This disturbed Evelyn. She had always assumed that politics was a youthful diversion, that I would someday return to the Transkei and practice there as a lawyer.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), Evelyn Mase
Page Number: 206
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

I did not regard the verdict as a vindication of the legal system or evidence that a black man could get a fair trial in a white man’s court. It was the right verdict and a just one, but it was largely as a result of a superior defense team and the fair-mindedness of the panel of these particular judges.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker)
Page Number: 260
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 45 Quotes

In planning the direction and form that MK would take, we considered four types of violent activities: sabotage, guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and open revolution. For a small and fledgling army, open revolution was inconceivable. Terrorism inevitably reflected poorly on those who used it, undermining any public support it might otherwise garner. Guerrilla warfare was a possibility, but since the ANC had been reluctant to embrace violence at all, it made sense to start with the form of violence that inflicted the least harm against individuals: sabotage.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker)
Page Number: 282
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 69 Quotes

The High Organ was the source of some controversy because of its ethnic composition: all four permanent members were from Xhosa backgrounds. This was a matter of coincidence rather than design; the senior ANC leadership on the island, the only four to have served on the National Executive Committee, happened to be Xhosa. It would not have been proper to take a less senior comrade and put him on the High Organ simply because he was not a Xhosa. But the fact that the High Organ was Xhosa-dominated disturbed me because it seemed to reinforce the mistaken perception that we were a Xhosa organization.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), Walter Sisulu
Related Symbols: Robben Island
Page Number: 442
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 104 Quotes

Despite his seemingly progressive actions, Mr. de Klerk was by no means the great emancipator. He was a gradualist, a careful pragmatist. He did not make any of his reforms with the intention of putting himself out of power. He made them for precisely the opposite reason: to ensure power for the Afrikaner in a new dispensation. He was not yet prepared to negotiate the end of white rule.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), F. W. de Klerk, Chief Buthelezi
Page Number: 577
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Long Walk to Freedom LitChart as a printable PDF.
Long Walk to Freedom PDF

African National Congress (ANC) Term Timeline in Long Walk to Freedom

The timeline below shows where the term African National Congress (ANC) appears in Long Walk to Freedom. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...only part of the truth to Dr. Xuma, a friend of Jongintaba’s involved with the ANC who promises them work. But the foreman at the mine, Piliso, only has a clerical... (full context)
Chapter 11
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...in 1941, although many don’t believe the promises about democratic principles. The African National Congress  (ANC) creates its own charter in response, calling for full citizenship for all African people. Mandela... (full context)
Chapter 12
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...gets sick and dies at 33, shocking other activists like Sisulu. Later that year, the ANC and two of the Indian resistance groups sign a document called the Doctors’ Pact to... (full context)
Chapter 13
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
Malan begins to implement apartheid. Dr. Xuma, the head of the ANC, doesn’t like the tactics of some of the more activist members, and so the activists... (full context)
Chapter 14
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...to taxi other activists around, taking messages to Dr. Moroka. Mandela and others in the ANC lead civil disobedience against Dr. Malan’s policies, inspired in part by Gandhi. (full context)
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...the campaign, putting out propaganda to smear the leaders. Police infiltrate local branches of the ANC. One day while Mandela is working as a law clerk, someone comes with a warrant... (full context)
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
Dr. Moroka, who was also arrested, causes a stir in the ANC by taking on his own attorney, rather than being tried together with all the other... (full context)
Chapter 15
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
At 1952’s annual ANC conference, Chief Albert Luthuli takes over, poised to lead in a more activist direction. Mandela... (full context)
Chapter 17
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
The Nationalist government begins evacuating Africans and forcing them to live in new neighborhoods. The ANC gets involved with trying to stop these removal efforts. At one meeting on the subject,... (full context)
Chapter 18
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...even more severe bans, again limiting his travel and forcing him to resign from the ANC. Mandela is crushed and doesn’t like being forced to the sidelines of a cause that... (full context)
Chapter 19
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
Because Mandela can’t attend the ANC conference, another member of the executive reads the speech he had prepared, which becomes known... (full context)
Chapter 20
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...to hold rallies about the government’s plan to remove African people from their homes. The ANC continues to face arguments from within about when, if ever, to use violence. In 1953,... (full context)
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The ANC attempt a school boycott, but it’s disorganized and doesn’t fully succeed, although the government does... (full context)
Racism and Division Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
While the ANC is finalizing a charter on the second day of the convention, police raid it and... (full context)
Chapter 21
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...show a lot of courage—helps rejuvenate Mandela when he sees the enthusiasm of a local ANC meeting. (full context)
Chapter 22
Racism and Division Theme Icon
When Mandela returns to Johannesburg, he gets caught up in a controversy over whether ANC should participate in the Bantu Authorities. Mandela thinks it could be a good opportunity to... (full context)
Chapter 24
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...“submissiveness” that Jehovah’s Witnesses seem to preach. Evelyn struggles to understand Mandela’s commitment to the ANC and activism, which forces him to have a demanding schedule. Tensions rise, and when Mandela... (full context)
Chapter 27
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...1958, where 3 million White people can vote but 13 million African people still can’t. ANC tries to organize a strike around the election, but it fails to come together. The... (full context)
Chapter 30
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...group called the Pan Africanist Conference (PAC) arises, with a specifically African perspective that contradicts ANC’s multiracial perspective. Despite this rivalry, Mandela knows and respects the PAC president Robert Sobukwe and... (full context)
Chapter 32
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...unexpectedly dies from a stroke. The prosecution brings witnesses who fail to convincingly prove that ANC is full of Communists. Still, they have an audio recording of one prominent activist named... (full context)
Chapter 33
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
In December 1959, the annual ANC conference takes place in the middle of the protests against passes. The Nationalists are fearful... (full context)
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...finally takes notice and blames the South African government. Mandela, Luthuli, and others in the ANC organize a massive protest on March 28. It’s so large that the government declares a... (full context)
Chapter 37
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
In September, when the Emergency is over, Mandela and the rest of the ANC meet secretly to plan for the future. Mandela is so busy that he sees little... (full context)
Chapter 39
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...the courthouse is crowded. The judge declares that the prosecution has failed to prove that ANC is a Communist organization, and people cheer. Mandela is allowed to go free, but he... (full context)
Chapter 41
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...speak out strongly against nonviolence. Mandela receives authorization to create a separate organization from the ANC that can use force. (full context)
Chapter 42
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...an army called the Umkhonto we Sizwe (“The Spear of the Nation,” abbreviated MK). Unlike ANC, Mandela allows White members in MK. Mandela starts reading about people like Fidel Castro, Mao... (full context)
Chapter 45
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...using terrorism or guerrilla warfare if sabotage isn’t effective. Many of Mandela’s recruits come from ANC, and he worries that some are no longer performing their ANC duties. In December, Mandela... (full context)
Chapter 47
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...himself. Still, some at the conference worry about the lack of unity and coordination between ANC and PAC, but Mandela tries to reassure them that everyone is working toward a common... (full context)
Chapter 49
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...a secret meeting with his allies, and they plan to make minor changes to the ANC so that it is easier for foreign governments to understand their goals. One day, while... (full context)
Chapter 52
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...is somewhere in prison and hopes to see him and put aside any competition between ANC and PAC. They and a couple other political prisoners get to speak briefly in the... (full context)
Chapter 53
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
While Mandela’s trial is going in in 1962, the ANC holds its first annual conference in a few years. ANC finally acknowledges MK as its... (full context)
Chapter 67
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...even raiding her home while she was getting dressed. They talk about family and reference ANC matters in code. Not long after, police arrest Winnie, and she spends four days in... (full context)
Chapter 69
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
After a few years in prison, Mandela despairs that the state has grown stronger, and ANC has grown weaker. Still, the liberation struggle continues in other parts of Africa, with MK... (full context)
Chapter 76
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...downtime at the quarry, Sisulu teaches a course he’s invented about the history of the ANC. Mandela also busies himself with legal work for African people who can’t afford a lawyer... (full context)
Chapter 79
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...Kruger, the minister of prisons, comes to visit Mandela. He still believes that Mandela and ANC are violent Communists, so Mandela tries to explain to him ANC’s slow process toward incorporating... (full context)
Chapter 80
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...their policy of focusing on Blackness rather than all races. Physical fights break out among ANC, PAC, and BCM, but Mandela tries to promote unity. (full context)
Chapter 86
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...will distract him from the broader liberation struggle and that traditional leaders might counterbalance the ANC. The Thembu chiefs have a leadership crisis: Sabata, the main traditional chief, has been deposed... (full context)
Chapter 87
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...a prosperous White suburb. Mandela is disoriented and believes that authorities are trying to stop ANC’s influence in Robben Island by removing him. Despite this downside, the food at Pollsmoor is... (full context)
Chapter 89
Racism and Division Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...circumstances into an opportunity, making a secret plan that he doesn’t even tell his fellow ANC members on the rare moments when he can still see them. (full context)
Chapter 90
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...that they should also speak to Tambo, who is currently the real leader of the ANC. Meanwhile, Tambo has been leading people in civil disobedience, and international pressure on South Africa... (full context)
Chapter 93
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...meet more, Mandela finds that they’re surprisingly open-minded and don’t actually know much about the ANC. He tells them that when it comes to violence, “it is always the oppressor, not... (full context)
Chapter 100
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...de Klerk’s actions. Mandela would like to take a leisurely trip to Transkei, but the ANC has plans for him first. (full context)
Chapter 102
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
On February 27th, Mandela reports to the leadership of ANC and also meets with several other African heads of state. Eventually, he embarks on a... (full context)
Chapter 103
Racism and Division Theme Icon
When he returns to South Africa, Mandela has to deal with issues within the ANC. One involves Chief Buthelezi, who split off from the ANC and now leads a violent... (full context)
Chapter 106
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...and violence has only gotten worse. The government led by de Klerk recently arrested several ANC members. Mandela believes that the violence in the country is an impediment to future negotiations,... (full context)
Chapter 107
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...finally returns from exile abroad to South Africa. He gives a controversial speech about how ANC must push international countries to start rolling back sanctions against South Africa. Meanwhile, to try... (full context)
Chapter 108
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...which Mandela grants, but after de Klerk gives a speech that questions the trustworthiness of ANC, Mandela is angry with him. Six weeks after the beginning of CODESA 1 (the first... (full context)
Chapter 110
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...Mandela and de Klerk are still at odds on several issues. As negotiations stall, the ANC adopts a policy of “rolling mass action” that incorporates strikes, demonstrations, and boycotts. Tensions rise... (full context)
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...agreement angers Chief Buthelezi and causes Inkatha to drop out of negotiations, abandoning both the ANC and the Nationalists. Aside from this setback, the Record of Understanding leads to an agreement... (full context)
Chapter 111
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...Qunu, which is completed in the fall of 1993. In April of 1993, a popular ANC and MK member named Chris Hani gets assassinated by white supremacists, and some fear that... (full context)
Chapter 112
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...to campaign in earnest for the election, traveling the country to hear people’s opinions. The ANC puts together a 150-page document about how to rejuvenate the country. (full context)
Chapter 114
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...and Mandela votes at a high school near where John Dube, first president of the ANC, is buried. A reporter asks him who he’s voting for, and he jokes that he... (full context)
Chapter 115
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...he grew up that his boyhood feelings of freedom were an illusion. He joined the ANC and the liberation struggle to try to get back this feeling of freedom for everyone,... (full context)