What title did Nelson Mandela give his famous 1964 Rivonia Trial courtroom speech?

Nelson Mandela titled his famous 1964 Rivonia Trial courtroom speech “I Am Prepared to Die.”

Mandela delivered the speech on 20 April 1964 during the Rivonia Trial at Pretoria’s Palace of Justice. He used the statement to explain the ANC’s opposition to apartheid and to defend the decision to support sabotage against government institutions.

The speech described Mandela’s ideal of a democratic and free society in which people of all races could live together with equal opportunities. Its concluding words stated that this was an ideal for which he was prepared to die, making the phrase inseparable from his political legacy.

The speech did not prevent conviction. Mandela and seven other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1964. The title is sometimes confused with Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, but they are different works.