Apartheid in South Africa Response

After the Apartheid ended in 1994 in South Africa, Nelson Mandela became president. He did many crucial things in keeping South Africa as peaceful as possible, and one of those things was what he did with South African Rugby. One of the most important things he thought was to prove to the white people that he was not going to be what they feared he would be. One critical decision he made was when he called for a re-vote to not change the names of the spring-boks, the rugby team. He explained how this was extremely important to the white men and if they took it away, then they could never live in peace. He also stressed to those that wanted revenge that they need to forget the past, and work towards a peaceful future, for their children and their country. Even though he spent most of his life locked up in a prison, he knew that they right thing, the the easy thing, but the right thing to do was to forgive the people that had put him there so he could help his country. Rugby not only showed the whites that the new government was not going to be what they had thought, but it also gave something for the whole country to be behind. The blacks used to cheer for any team facing the Springboks, but now that Mandela has shown them what they should be doing, the whole country started to be behind them as they worked their way through the world cup. Also one of the most important things that allowed this to happen was the fact that the springboks started winning. Them winning allowed the blacks to loosen up to them, and gave the whole country pride.