Page 36 - 100 Events That Made History

In a troubled time for South Africa,
Abolishing black people endured years of

oppression under apartheid
(an Afrikaans word meaning
apartheid “separateness”). Fearless

freedom fighters took on

The mission to stop their cause and ended
up running the country.
racial DISCRIMINATION

in South Africa Did you know?
Apartheid meant black
South Africans had
separate schools and
couldn’t travel where they
wanted or marry whites.

Living apart

In 1948, the all-white Afrikaner National
Party of South Africa began imposing the
system of apartheid on the mostly black
country. This limited what black people
could do and where they could go. It was
designed to keep them APART from white
people, and meant that black people had
to live in poor, overcrowded townships.
Blacks flee
from police
bullets at Protests against prejudice
Sharpeville. The black rights group, the African National

Congress (ANC), arranged peaceful protests
against apartheid. But the organization met with
Signs like this
violence many times. One of the worst occasions
were once seen
was the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre, when
everywhere in
South Africa.
police killed 69 black people. The ANC was
banned, and in 1964 one of their leaders,
NELSON MANDELA, was imprisoned for life.

What came before…

In the late 19th century, Quarrels between white
European countries settlers in South Africa
raced one another to became violent. In 1880 and
grab African territory in again in 1899, war broke
what was known as the out between the British and
“SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA.” the BOERS, who were of
Dutch and German descent.
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