only hold certain jobs, live in certain areas, ride on certain trains, etc. (83). Although Mandela says that his attitude of nationalistic political activism was the result of coming face to face every day with the apartheid laws that have already been mentioned, there are some specific motivations that can be seen as particularly influencing his nationalistic feelings.The first major influence on Mandela, which must be discussed, is that of his profession. Because of the fact that Mandela was an attorney, he encountered apartheid in much greater volume than his fellow black South Africans (ANC web site). A quote from Mandela's partner Oliver Tambo demonstrates how many cases he and Mandela encountered, "To reach our desks each morning, Nelson and I ran the gauntlet of patient people overflowing from the chair in the waiting room into the corridors" (ANC web site). Even Mandela's practice was sanctioned through apartheid. Land segregation acts drove Mandela's practice from the center of the city, where it was easy to reach black clients, to a rural area, which was difficult for blacks to reach (ANC web site). Dealing with this apartheid in such a great volume had an impact on Mandela, and frustrated him a great deal; however one needs to look at three other distinct events in his life which led to his becoming more of a nationalist than the average frustrated black African.First, and perhaps the most influential of these three influences is that of a new division that was forming within the African National Congress. The leadership of the ANC had been using methods that had been for the most part ineffective. This old leadership would challenge apartheid by trying to work through the constitution, and petitioning the government that was in place (Mandela 84). A man named Anton Lembede led younger and more energetic members of the ANC, including Mandela (Mandela 84). After reading about what Mandela has to say about Lembede, it...
