Remembering Nelson Mandela, 1918–2013

The passing of Nelson Mandela is sure to inspire a global outpouring of mourning, testimonials, and commentary, perhaps on a scale without precedent in the age of the Internet and social media. His life story and character have long moved and inspired many millions of people. Mandela received a life sentence for treason in 1964 for his anti-apartheid activism and spent 27 years in prison. After his release in 1990, he began leading negotiations for a peaceful end to apartheid with F.W. de Klerk, then-president of South Africa. In 1994, Mandela was elected president in the nation's first free multiracial elections. Shortly thereafter, he instigated a truth and reconciliation process that sought forgiveness in forging a new multiracial democracy.

Mandela stepped down from the presidency after one term and became a global statesman. He devoted his time over the next few years to peace negotiations in other African countries, charitable work, and advocacy for such causes as human rights, poverty eradication, and HIV/AIDS prevention. In 1993, Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, the last apartheid-era president, shared the Nobel Peace Prize. Mandela's leadership was not without criticism in some aspects, and South Africa today still struggles with inequality, corruption, and violent crime, while the African National Congress (ANC) he led is a divided party. However, he leaves behind a functional democracy and sub-Saharan Africa's largest economy—outcomes that were hardly assured in the last days of apartheid.

Mandela is without dispute among the 20th century's most significant, influential, and revered figures, and will be studied globally for many years to come. In South Africa he remains both Madiba (his Xhosa clan name) and "The Father of the Nation."

New Primary Resource Collection: Explorers of the American West

We are pleased to announce the addition of a rich collection of primary resources to our United States Geography Online Solution!

Sacajawea is depicted guiding the Lewis and Clark expedition through the Rocky Mountains in this painting.

Users have access to a plethora of fascinating and illuminating primary sources such as journal entries and artwork. The new collection includes:

• 60 journal excerpts from some of the most notable explorers of the 19th century
• 50 pieces of primary source media, which includes artwork from the expeditions, pdf maps, and photographs of journal pages
• 6 interactive expedition maps that feature pop-up boxes with journal excerpts that correspond to locations on the maps. These maps are one-of-a-kind, produced in-house from coordinates found in the journals themselves, and only found at ABC-CLIO!
• Timelines for each featured expedition with links to their corresponding journal excerpts
• Essays describing each expedition
• A feature story, “Ocian in View Celebrated,” that serves as our gateway to the collection and includes an Examine activity analyzing primary documents
• Two lesson plans on the support site to accompany the collection in which students analyze primary documents: Concept of Place in the American West and Explorers of the American West and Native American

Click the linked text above to begin exploring these unique and informative resources.

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