CREDIT: GREG BARTLEY/CAMERA PRESS, VIA REDUX

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal that I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” — Nelson Mandela

“I Am Prepared to Die” is the name given to the three-hour speech given by Nelson Mandela on April 20, 1964, from the dock of the defendant at the Rivonia Trial. The speech is so titled because it ends with the words “it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” The speech is considered one of the great speeches of the 20th century, and a key moment in the history of South African democracy.