As a boy in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was often not sure of himself. He cared little for the outside world and rarely challenged authority. But when he grew up, he devoted his life to the ideal of “a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities.” He fought to end apartheid—a system that segregated blacks and whites in a country where blacks could not vote, own land, or move freely from one place to another. After attempting to overthrow the government Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Once freed, he was elected president of South Africa becoming a powerful symbol of peace and unity.