1996 — South Africa Adopts Its Constitution

On May 8, 1996, South Africa's Constitutional Assembly adopted the country's first democratic constitution, with 421 votes in favor and only two against. The moment closed two years of negotiation and the largest public participation program in the nation's history, a process that had invited ordinary people to help shape the new order.

The result was a Bill of Rights hailed as second to none. Its preamble declares that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. Months later, after amendments, Mandela signed the final text, giving the young democracy a founding promise written to outlast any single government or leader.