10 of the most celebrated rebels in history

In their time, they challenged the status quo. Although they are no more today, these iconic figures are still celebrated. Rebels are usually associated with negativity but from Harriet Tubman who helped free thousands of African slaves to Nelson Mandela who wasn’t afraid of being jailed to liberate South Africa from apartheid, you’d agree they are worth memoralising.

William Wallace

Scottish national hero Sir William Wallace, who lived roughly from 1270 to 1305, was a knight who battled to free his people from England. In September 1297, Wallace memorably led the Scots to victory in the Battle of Stirling Bridge over a bigger English army.

Martin Luther King Jr

The Baptist Minister pushed for change and was a visionary leader. Leading a campaign of equality based on equality, nonviolent action, and civil disobedience, Martin Luther King championed the American Civil Rights movement. The orator was assassinated after a sermon in 1968.

Harriet Tubman

Years before the fight for racial equality, Harriet Tubman a slave who escaped the clutches of her masters became a revolutionary freedom fighter. Before the American Civil War, Harriet Tubman, a prominent abolitionist, managed to flee slavery in the South. She guided hundreds of enslaved individuals across the Underground Railroad to freedom in the North.

Alice Paul

Another resolute radical woman who pushed for the advancement of gender equality despite what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles. The American-born Alice joined forces with another activist Lucy Burns, in England, to lead her first protest to champion women’s right to vote. This led to the arrest of several women.

Galileo Galilei

Historically, it is said that scientific thought was influenced by Abrahamic religions, including Galileo Galilei. Despite his revolutionary scientific theories, Galileo faced persecution due to his contentious ideas and willingness to push human understanding boundaries. His contributions to astronomy, physics, and engineering were significant, leading to his eventual house arrest.

Nelson Mandela

The most celebrated hero of the anti-apartheid movement. Nelson Mandela endured extreme hardships and resisted South Africa’s racial segregation. Raised in Thembu, he joined the African National Congress in 1943. Despite imprisonment, Mandela remained a hero and thought leader, eventually becoming South Africa’s president in 1994.

Margaret Sanger

Born in 1879, Elizabeth Sanger, a trailblazing writer, activist, and nurse, gained notoriety for writing sex education articles and advocating for increased access to birth control. Despite facing detention and banished for advocating for women’s autonomy, her advocacy continues to shape the fight for women’s reproductive rights.

Spartacus

Spartacus, a former slave and Thracian gladiator, escaped captors and led a rebel army of around 70,000. Despite initially having only 70 members, his troops grew to over 70,000, becoming a legitimate military force. Under Spartacus’s leadership, what the Roman Republic had once written off as a small band of outlaws developed into a legitimate military force and an impressive tactical force.

Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull, a 19th-century Hunkpapa Lakota chief, was a formidable warrior and leader. He defeated a buffalo at the age of ten and fought against white colonizers. Despite his efforts, his reign was marked by hardship and strife, ultimately leading to his murder in 1890.

Joan of Arc

Joan, a renowned warrior and military commander, was raised as a peasant in medieval France. Despite being dubbed insane, she remained steadfast in her belief in a divine mission. Despite dying at the stake, she is revered as a saint and martyr.