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Period: to
Journey from Apartheid to Freedom
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African National Congress (ANC)
The African National Congress was created with the goal to establish racial equality within South African society. The party fought the policy of apartheid from its beginning through both peaceful and eventually military methods. They did not win control unitl the first democratic election in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa. -
National Party
The National Party was made up of Dutch-descended Afrikaners and the Bristish whites. Their policies were meant to legally separate non-whites from whites. The whites meant to make sure the non-whites were denied quality education and any other means of advancement, The party supported white supremacy and inequality based on race. They stayed in power from 1948 to 1994 when they lost in the first democratic election in South Africa. The ANC has been in power ever since. -
The Early Years of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Transkei, South Africa. His wealthy relative took custody of him after his father died when Mandela was nine years old in 1927. He later went to a boarding school and then to Fort Hare Missionary College where he was expelled for protests against the white races policy of Apartheid. Mandela finally graduated from The University of South Africa with a degree in law so he could work to protect the rights of all South African’s. -
Apartheid
In 1948, Apartheid became legal in South Africa. The point of Apartheid was to maintain white domination while extending racial separation. Apartheid was a total of 317 unfair racial discrimination laws. The National Party created Apartheid (the all-white government). Apartheid lasted for 46 years, until Nelson Mandela ended it in 1994. -
The Population Registration Act
The Population Registration Act is a policy in which non-whites were required to be identified as a certain race from birth by carrying passbooks. They were forced to take humiliating tests to see what race they were. Their lifestyle could lead to members of an extended family being classified as belonging to different races. As an example, the parents could be designated white, and the kids could be labeled colored, forcing them to live apart. -
The Bantu Authorities Act
The Bantu Authorities Act created traditional tribal, regional, and territorial authorities. They designated the lands where non-whites could reside and called these “homelands.” Non-whites were prohibited from renting or occupying properties near the white areas. They were not even allowed to vote and lost every right they had previously enjoyed as a citizen of South Africa -
The Defiance Campaign
The Defiance Campaign was launched on June 26, 1952. It was organized by the ANC, and was the largest non-violent resistance in South Africa. It was started to try to stop the racist policy of apartheid, and show people how unfair rules were for blacks in South Africa. Although it did not succeed it won recognition to the United Nations, and it showed the potential power of non-white leadership in South Africa. -
The Bantu Education Act of 1953
The Bantu Education Act of 1953 was a segregation law that allowed white students to receive a better education than the non-whites. This act was to prohibit any Non-whites from becoming powerful in South Africa. The non-whites wouldn’t be taught any courses beyond the lowest levels, and therefore they would not receive quality employment. Overall, the Bantu Education act of 1953 was a very racist law that prohibited education. -
Hendrik Verwoerd
Hendrik Verwoerd was the primary architect of the apartheid in South Africa. He was a prime minister in September 2, 1958 after the death of J.G Strijdom and unleashed his apartheid dream. He was in charge of non Whites education and trying to get rid of non Whites freedom and human rights. Verwoerd had changed the South African society into discrimination and racism that has changed non Whites forever. His legacy was having a White society at the top of the human environment. -
Nelson Mandela Imprisonment and Presidency
In August of 1962, Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders were tried in the Rivonia Trial for treason against the apartheid government. Nelson Mandela was already in Johannesburg's Fort prison serving a five-year sentence for telling workers to strike was found guilty, and re-sentenced for life. Nelson spent 27 years in prison, over time he became the figure of the anti-apartheid movement a campaign fought for his release. President F.W. de Klerk decided to release Mandela from prison. -
The Rivonia Trial
The Rivonia Trial wa a signicant trial against 19 memer of teh African National Congress including Nelson Mandela. It took place in South Africa and started November 26, 1963 and ended June 12, 1964. The white National Party wanted the ANC opposition to be silenced and attempted to do this by accusing their leaders of crimes against the government and sentencing them to life in prison. -
Soweto Uprising
The Soweto uprising occurred on June 6, 1976, as a protest against the discrimination that the non-whites had faced for many years from the Bantu Education Act. The last straw for this uprising was the change of language used to teach to Afrikaan instead of English. This was a language unknown to the non-white students. The students protested peacefully, but the police responded with violence.South Africa eventually changed the laws to allow all South Africans to enjoy the rights of citizenship. -
Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was born on October 7 1931. He led a nonviolent resistance against the apartheid. Tutu was the first black South African to serve as Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1975, and he was appointed to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission under President Nelson Mandela. He was also the first black South African to serve as secretary of the South African Council of Churches, and he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Medal of Honor in 2009. -
F.W.de Klerk
Before Fredrick W. de Klerk was elected, apartheid was the ruling policy in South Africa. When he was in the National Party, he did not question the apartheid .Once F. W. de Klerk was elected president in September 20, 1989; he realized it was a dangerous policy and ended it, releasing all wrongly imprisoned non whites. De Klerk was very close to the famous Nelson Mandela, who followed him as president in May 9, 1994. They both received the Nobel Peace Prize for their actions to end apartheid. -
The Freedom Charter
The Freedom Charter was a blueprint for a non-racial society against apartheid. Early in the year of 1955, the African National Congress (ANC), an association for South African rights, sent out 50,000 volunteers to collect ‘freedom demands’ from “non- white” South African people. The demands included equal rights, labor issues, freedom of religion and speech, and housing and health. All of these were incorporated into the charter. Then on June 26, 1995, the Freedom Charter was finalized. -
Nelson Mandela: After Presidency
Nelson Mandela won over 250 awards after he left his presidential role. One of which are the Nobel Peace Prize together for ending Apartheid. He was accepted into the International House of Leaders. Many people have compared him to Gandhi. He was also elected an Honorary Life member of the Literary and Debating Society. His son died of AIDS and Mandela has made a foundation for at- risk children. -
President Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma taught himself how to write and read. He was just an average South, African boy with no education, but he did amazing things for South Africa. He was elected president in May of 2009, and he helped the African economy. He also began allocation of 4,600 dollars for reparations for apartheid victims. Today he is still making changes to make South Africa a better place to live.
