"Landmarks of Nelson Mandela's Life"

In an informational text, BBC News lists the important events of Nelson Mandela's life from his birth in 1918 until 1995 (which does not cover the 18 years before his death in 2013).

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 7 Unit 3's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Tangerine, A stunning tale of escape, To an Athlete Dying Young, Biography of Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Landmarks of Nelson Mandela's Life, Invictus, Playing the Enemy, Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
10 words 23 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. magistrate
    a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law
    1919--His father is dispossessed on the orders of a white magistrate, losing most of his cattle, land and income.
  2. activist
    a reformer who works to achieve social or political change
    1943--Joins the African National Congress (ANC), initially as an activist.
  3. charter
    a document creating an institution and specifying its rights
    1955--The Freedom Charter is adopted at the Congress of the People, calling for equal rights and equal share of wealth with the country's white population.
  4. conspire
    act in agreement and in secret towards a deceitful purpose
    1956--Mr. Mandela, along with 155 other political activists, is accused of conspiring to overthrow the South African state by violent means
  5. sabotage
    a deliberate act of destruction or disruption
    1964--Captured by police after more than a year on the run, he is convicted of sabotage and treason in June and sentenced to life imprisonment
  6. launch
    begin with vigor
    1980--His friend Mr. Tambo, who is in exile, launches an international campaign for his release.
  7. sanction
    a mechanism of social control for enforcing standards
    1986--The international community tightens sanctions against South Africa.
  8. embargo
    a government order imposing a trade barrier
    It is estimated that, between 1988 and 1990, the economic embargoes cost the country's treasury more than $4bn in revenue.
  9. democratic
    based upon the principles of social equality
    1994--In the first multi-racial democratic elections in South Africa's history, Mr. Mandela is elected president.
  10. gesture
    something done as an indication of intention
    1995--South Africa wins the Rugby Union World Cup, and Mr. Mandela is publicly presented with a team jersey by the team captain, seen as a highly symbolic gesture of unity between blacks and whites.
Created on Thu Sep 11 14:44:11 EDT 2014 (updated Thu Sep 11 18:08:28 EDT 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.