Vocabulary from Mandela's Capetown address upon his election

Upon his election as president of South Africa in 1994, Nelson Mandela gave an address to the people of Capetown, which embodied his vision for a government which fairly represented all the people of his nation. Here are 15 vocabulary words from this speech. Transcript of speech available here<\a>
15 words 277 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. ordained
    fixed or established especially by command
    Perhaps it was history that ordained that it be here, at the Cape of Good Hope that we should lay the foundation stone of our new nation.
  2. convergence
    the act of coming closer
    For it was here at this Cape, over three centuries ago, that there began the fateful convergence of the peoples of Africa, Europe and Asia on these shores.
  3. infamy
    a state of extreme dishonor
    When we look out across Table Bay, the horizon is dominated by Robben Island, whose infamy as a dungeon built to stifle the spirit of freedom is as old as colonialism in South Africa.
  4. stifle
    impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
    When we look out across Table Bay, the horizon is dominated by Robben Island, whose infamy as a dungeon built to stifle the spirit of freedom is as old as colonialism in South Africa.
  5. banish
    expel, as if by official decree
    For three centuries that island was seen as a place to which outcasts can be banished.
  6. aspiration
    a cherished desire
    Ours has been a quest for a constitution freely adopted by the people of South Africa, reflecting their wishes and their aspirations.
  7. charter
    a document creating an institution and specifying its rights
    It is also the founding principle of the Freedom Charter we adopted as policy in 1955, which in its very first lines, places before South Africa an inclusive basis for citizenship.
  8. embody
    represent in physical form
    They project a democracy in which the government, whomever that government may be, will be bound by a higher set of rules, embodied in a constitution, and will not be able govern the country as it pleases.
  9. provincial
    associated with an administrative district of a nation
    In the political order we have established there will regular, open and free elections, at all levels of government - central, provincial and municipal.
  10. municipal
    relating to a self-governing district
    In the political order we have established there will regular, open and free elections, at all levels of government - central, provincial and municipal.
  11. reconciliation
    the reestablishment of cordial relations
    Our plan is to create jobs, promote peace and reconciliation, and to guarantee freedom for all South Africans.
  12. pervasive
    spreading or spread throughout
    We will tackle the widespread poverty so pervasive among the majority of our people.
  13. inroad
    an encroachment or intrusion
    By easing credit conditions we can assist them to make inroads into the productive and manufacturing spheres and breakout of the small-scale distribution to which they are presently confined.
  14. morass
    a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
    To raise our country and its people from the morass of racism and apartheid will require determination and effort.
  15. impede
    be a hindrance or obstacle to
    As a government, the ANC will create a legal framework that will assist, rather than impede, the awesome task of reconstruction and development of our battered society.
Created on Fri Dec 06 11:19:23 EST 2013 (updated Fri Dec 06 12:57:40 EST 2013)

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.