Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in South Africa to a chief of the Tembu Tribe. He completed his primary education and began studying for his bachelor's degree, but left university after being accused of participating in a student strike. Mandela went on to study law and joined the African National Congress in 1943, becoming their leader in the fight against apartheid. He was repeatedly imprisoned for his activism before being released in 1990 after 27 years. Mandela then became South Africa's first black President from 1994-1999, overseeing the end of apartheid.