IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1090 
Honoring the esteemed former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on the 
occasion of his 90th birthday. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 8, 2008 
Mr. JEFFERSON (for himself and Mr. PAYNE) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring the esteemed former President Nelson Rolihlahla 
Mandela on the occasion of his 90th birthday. 
Whereas Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, 
South Africa on July 18, 1918; 
Whereas he joined the African National Congress (‘‘ANC’’) 
in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling 
National Party’s apartheid policies after 1948; 
Whereas, after the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson 
Mandela led the effort to set up of a military wing within 
the ANC; 
Whereas, in 1964, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and 
the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Nelson Mandela 
was brought to stand trial with them for plotting to over-
throw the government by violence; 
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•HRES 1090 IH 
Whereas his statement from the dock received considerable 
international publicity, on June 12, 1964, 8 of the ac-
cused, including Nelson Mandela, were sentenced to life 
imprisonment; 
Whereas, from 1964 to 1982, Nelson Mandela was incarcer-
ated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, 
he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland; 
Whereas Nelson Mandela consistently refused to compromise 
his political position to obtain his freedom while in pris-
on; 
Whereas the Congressional Black Caucus was instrumental in 
bringing an end to South Africa’s apartheid system; 
Whereas, under the leadership of Representative Ronald V. 
Dellums and after nearly 14 years of battle, in 1986, the 
Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was finally 
agreed to by both Houses of Congress, calling for sanc-
tions against South Africa and stated preconditions for 
lifting the sanctions, including the release of all political 
prisoners including Nelson Mandela; 
Whereas this bill was so strong that it withstood a veto by 
President Reagan making this the first time in the 20th 
century that a President had a foreign policy veto over-
ridden; 
Whereas Nelson Mandela became widely accepted as the most 
significant black leader in South Africa and in the world 
and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti- 
apartheid movement gathered strength; 
Whereas Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990; 
Whereas, after his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly 
into his life’s work, striving to attain the goals he and 
others had set out almost 4 decades earlier; 
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•HRES 1090 IH 
Whereas, in 1991, at the first national conference of the 
ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had 
been banned in 1960, Nelson Mandela was elected Presi-
dent of the ANC; 
Whereas South Africa’s first democratic elections in which 
full enfranchisement was granted were held on April 27, 
1994, and Nelson Mandela, as leader of the ANC, was 
inaugurated on May 10, 1994, as the country’s first 
black President; 
Whereas, as President from May 1994 until June 1999, Nel-
son Mandela presided over the transition from minority 
rule and apartheid, winning international respect for his 
advocacy of national and international reconciliation; and 
Whereas Nelson Mandela has received many South African, 
foreign, and international honors, including the Nobel 
Peace Prize in 1993 (which was shared with Frederik 
Willem de Klerk), the Order of Merit and the Order of 
St. John from Queen Elizabeth II and the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the United States House of Rep-
resentatives— 
(1) honors former President Nelson Rolihlahla 
Mandela on the occasion of his 90th birthday on 
July 18, 2008, and extends best wishes to him and 
his family; 
(2) honors his many accomplishments; 
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•HRES 1090 IH 
(3) congratulates him for his efforts to promote 
dialogue to peacefully resolve conflicts between peo-
ple in Africa and around the world; and 
(4) celebrates his contributions to South Africa, 
the United States, and the international community. 
Æ 
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