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The Rise and Fall of Apartheid (Teams 1-4)

Nelson Mandela
 
 Biographical Information:
 
  • Date of Birth: July 18, 1918
  • Place of Birth: Mvezo, South Africa
  • Major Accomplishments: First Black President of South Africa, was a main leader of the anti-apartheid movement
  • Major Awards: Nobel peace prize
 
 
 
F.W. de Klerk
 
 
Biographical Information:
 
  • Date of Birth: March 18, 1936
  • Place of Birth: Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, Union of South Africa
  • Major Accomplishments: Elected into the House of Assembly 1969
  • Major Awards: Nobel Peace Prize
  
 

The Rise of Apartheid

    The Apartheid was the creation of laws that limited rights for the black people in South Africa. It started in 1948 when the Dutch and Great Britain wanted to be completely segregated from the Black South Africans. Boers, the Dutch and Great Britain, are one of the main ethnic groups of South Africa. Since the Dutch and Britain wanted to be segregated they enacted laws that limited the freedom of non- whites. The Apartheid was not the first racism recognized in South Africa, they have had racism happen in the past.  They fought hard, but after protests and Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment, the Apartheid laws were finally repealed in 1990. The people fought for the rights they knew they deserved.


 

Opposition to Apartheid

    Black South Africans were treated poorly, and they did sometimes use some types of peaceful protests. They mostly used violent protests causing injuries across. The movements against in Apartheid were run by various groups such as the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party. The ANC is short for African National Congress, they are a political party in South Africa but they were considered a terrorist group. So is the Inkatha Freedom Party and the ANC are both opposed the Apartheid. Even some whites did not like the apartheid. A man named Nelson Mandela lead protest and was a huge inspiration across the globe. A little while later later and they had him behind bars, awaiting his release in twenty-seven more years. Because of his imprisonment, the protest just got had gotten worse for the government

 

 

The Fall of Apartheid
 
    Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk had important roles in the whole thing. Mandela served as the inspirational leader of most of the movement. He got the Black South Africans to stick up for their rights, and gain their freedom. Meanwhile de Klerk served as the governmental figure that took power of South Africa. He ended up freeing Mandela from prison, and becoming the president of South Africa. If the apartheid did not turn out peacefully it very well could have turned into a long brutal civil war. Then, in about 1993 South Africa drafted their first constitution, and in 1994  it came into effect on election day.


 
News Clips
 
 
 

 

President de Klerk is interviewed and once again apologized for the injustices experienced by Black South Africans.
 

 Even though the Black South Africans struggled for freedom the new generation is just not interested in learning about it.
The South African government comes together to discuss a new constitution. (9-21-2009) 

This is a African Resistance song sung to protest Apartheid composed by Vuyisile Mini.

This song, loosely translated, is stating, "‘Watch out Verwoerd, here comes the black man, your days are over." Verwoerd, a white man, was the prime minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination  in 1966. This song is telling Verwoerd to be careful because the black man is going to rise up and take their place.


 

 

 Sources:

  • Unit 6 Notebook, page 13
 
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