History_ Assign

Topic

Selection

Drafting of the U.S. Constitution

Mao Zedong’s Rule Over China

South African Apartheid

YES

Choose Your Own Topic (insert pre-approved topic here)

In the space below, replace the bracketed text with a short paragraph about what you already knew prior to this course about your selected topic, based on your personal history or experiences. This may include assumptions, beliefs, or values related to the topic. Be as detailed as possible.

South African apartheid was a government system where the then government upheld racial discrimination and segregation. The white government instated policies that legalized the separation of facilities and amenities for whites and nonwhite communities. The system was in place between 1948 to around 1991 when South Africa got a new constitution. During apartheid, the whites enjoyed more social, economic, and political privileges than the nonwhite communities in southern Africa. Social stratification made sure that the whites remained supreme over their nonwhite counterparts. It was even illegal to have interracial marriages or sexual relationships. During this time, the blacks, colored, and Asian communities would be designated separate areas to live and could also have different public utility areas. The whites, who were the minority, dominated the country for over 50 years.

Question

Response

Identify one question about the topic that you are curious about.

What brought about Apartheid in South Africa, and what specific oppressions were there during this time?

Describe why this question matters to you personally.

I am curious to determine what caused the apartheid in South Africa because it was not there before 1948. Before then, these people lived together peacefully, and there must be something that triggered the segregation.

Describe why this question matters to society.

This question is essential to society because the answers will reveal the causes of segregation. A knowledge of this will help society understand how to live peacefully and avoid similar occurrences in the future.

Identify a second question about the topic you are curious about.

How did the apartheid end? What happened after the resumption of normalcy between the whites and nonwhites?

Describe why this question matters to you personally.

Understanding how apartheid was stopped and how the relationships were built after this period is essential to me because it will reveal how we can be united in the future.

Describe why this question matters to society.

When we understand how healthy relationships are fostered after the apartheid, society will know how to build stronger relationships and avoid future conflicts between them.

Question

Response

Which secondary sources would be helpful for investigating your first research question?

(Include the title and author of the sources.)

Soudien, C. (2015). Nelson Mandela, Robben Island, and the Imagination of a new South Africa. Journal of Southern African Studies, 41(2), 353–366. DOI: 10.1080/03057070.2015.1012915.

This article provided insights into what were the causes of apartheid. The experiences of Madelia explain some of the social injustices that nonwhites suffered.

Which primary sources would be helpful for investigating your first research question?

(Include the title and author of the sources.)

Mandela, N. (1961). The second letter from Nelson Mandela to Hendrik Verwoerd, 26 June 1961. This is a letter that Mandela wrote to the then vice president before his arrest, and he was requesting a new constitution that was nonracial. This source gives insights to the oppression that was in place.

Which secondary sources would be helpful for investigating your second research question?

(Include the title and author of the sources.)

Yadav, A. K. (2007). Nelson Mandela and the Process of Reconciliation in South Africa. India Quarterly, 63(4), 49–84.

This article explores how reconciliation occurred after apartheid. It is crucial in giving insights on how we can solve conflicts in the future.

Which primary sources would be helpful for investigating your second research question?

(Include the title and author of the sources.)

Mandela, N. (1990). Apartheid has no future. Vital Speeches of the Day, 56(10), 295-297. Mandela's speech on his release indicates how apartheid came to an end and what avenues were followed to a democratic state.

Now that you have gone through the research, what have you learned about your topic in one to two paragraphs?

From the research I conducted, I found out that apartheid began much earlier than 1948. Although it was legalized with the government of the NP, it had started before that. In 1913, the Land Act that was enforced segregated the blacks to live in the reserves and denied them sharecropping privileges. This is clearly an act of segregation. With the great depression and world war II, there was economic difficulty in South Africa, and this is what caused aggravating consequences of apartheid. The government decided to legalize apartheid in an attempt to save the economy.

After apartheid, there has to be reconciliation. I have learned that it took more than just the ANC to stop apartheid. The United Nations had a say in the stop by speaking out against it and banning the sale of firearms. The United Kingdom and the United States also placed sanctions against the government of South Africa to help stop apartheid. After its ban in 1991, there were talks from both sides, and this paved way for the democratic South Africa. Those officials of NP who had once supported apartheid made public apologies. One example is from Adriaan Vlok, who washed the feet of an apartheid victim as a form of penance. These acts are seen to have fostered and rebuilt great relationships that exist between the two groups.