Carson Bavery and Cameron Murphy

Ms. Agar
English II Honors
15 November 2016
Parting the Theid
Men, women, and children have been forced and shaped by the claws of racism, separated and
moved away from their families, pulled and pushed by the unethical ways of the white minority.
Apartheid was ensued by the white Europeans colonizing portions of Africa. In turn, the native
Africans were treated as if their lives had no meaning, and a civil dispute followed. Apartheid in
South Africa lasted from 1948-1994 and was a problem because of the racial injustice and
inequality; if not for the acts of Nelson Mandela, the Apartheid could still be going on today.
The driving force behind Apartheid was the greed and gluttony of the European minority. The
European colonization of South Africa had allowed for the different cultures to clash and soon
have a civil dispute called Apartheid. Apartheid, an Afrikaans word meaning apartness,
describes an ideology of racial segregation that served as the basis for white domination of the
South African state from 1948 to 1994 (Harris). Although some may know the meaning of
Apartheid, many have not learned about this major social injustice and do not know what is
means. The controversial 1913 Land Act, passed three years after South Africa gained its
independence, marked the beginning of territorial segregation by forcing black Africans to live in
reserves and making it illegal for them to work as sharecroppers (History.com). This act was the
first sign of racial separation to take place in South Africa, setting up a baseline for complete
segregation. Leading to disruption in organizations that had differing views. The African

National Congress (ANC), first organized in 1912, was banned in 1960 for its communist views
and anti-apartheid activities. The ANC then launched, with other groups, an armed struggle
against the government (CultureGrams). The launch of the ANC was the first cooperation with
other groups with a major struggle against the government which finally turned the tide against
the groups that viewed race differently. Considering many people not have known about this
catastrophic occurrence, it still holds an important place in history because of its eventual
solution.
The majority of notable effects of Apartheid revolve around families being torn apart, and
revolting African Americans. This seemed like it should not be possible, considering the vast
majority of colored people in the country. In 1951 South Africa's African population was
approximately 8.5 million, nearly four-fifths of the entire population (Harris). Even though this
was the case, Europeans still managed to dominate over the significantly larger population. With
their reign over most of the people in the entire country, whites were able to wreck havoc on
families, relationships, and jobs. In some cases, the legislation split families; parents could be
classified as white, while their children were classified as colored (History.com). In some cases,
this lead to children being taken away from homes, loved ones separated, and custody split all
because of the heritage and color of a persons skin. Some people urged to have freedom from
these heinous demands of segregation, and for everyone to have an equal say, including Nelson
Mandela. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I
have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in
harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realized.
But, my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die (Gourevitc). This shows

how devout Mandela was to keep a society where all people were treated as equals, even going
as far as to say he is willing to die for his cause. This was so important to him, that he still had
his priorities set to have even the very Europeans who put them in this situation given equal
rights. The events that took place in South Africa, not only tore families apart, but tore entire
races apart. It also sparked a fire in the hearts of the oppressed, to make things right again, and
have equal rights for all.
With all the resistance from the black population and with many paths taken, the ANC stood out
above all other peace seeking groups in this time of injustice. The power of the white
government had allowed for them to shut down peace groups opposing them, but one group had
prevailed. In the mid-1940s a group of young professionals, including Nelson Mandela and
Robert Sobukwe, banded together to form the ANC Youth League (Harris). Age had not
mattered toward the start of resistance in anyone and had allowed for the new generation to make
the difference toward what they believed in. Resistance to apartheid within South Africa took
many forms over the years, from non-violent demonstrations, protests and strikes to political
action and eventually to armed resistance (history.com). Non-violent protests were used many
times but throughout apartheid armed resistance was used and had caught the attention of those
just looking away and allowed for a bigger statement to be made. In 1996, a new constitution,
with an extensive bill of rights guaranteeing equality for all who live in South Africa, was
ratified (CultureGrams). The end of social and racial injustice finally came two years into
Nelson Mandelas five year presidential term when a new constitution was eventually written,
guaranteeing rights to every and anyone in South Africa. Solutions have a periodic effect

throughout history due to the ripple effect, which in turn can take a simple making of something
into the change of a society forever.
The native African Americans were treated with little humanity, due to the European colonization
that was taking place at the time. This was a huge problem from 1948 to 1994, because of the
ensued racial inequality and injustice. If Nelson Mandela had not intervened, apartheid may still
be going on today. Apartheid was caused by the intruding white Europeans and they had taken
control on the black majority. This resulted in many families being separated and violent
revolting around the entire country. These problems were soon solved by the observance of the
protests that were taking place, and the influence of Nelson Mandela. If not for these resolutions,
who knows what extremes people could have gone to today.

Works Cited
Harris, Betty J. "Apartheid." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, edited by Maryanne Cline
Horowitz, vol. 1, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005, pp. 105-113. U.S. History In Context,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=moor14691&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE
%7CCX3424300046&asid=0f7f750412504cbb1e64ee86935d92c1. Accessed 7 Nov. 2016.
History.com Staff. "Apartheid." history.com, A+E Networks, www.history.com/topics/apartheid.
Jauch, Herbert. "Economics after apartheid." Canadian Dimension, July-Aug. 1997, p. 26+.
Student Edition, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=GPS&sw=w&u=moor14691&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE
%7CA54869711&asid=b057d095b739eda87672b8a3fd7964f9. Accessed 7 Nov. 2016.
"Nelson Mandela." The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2013, p. 23. Student Edition, go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=moor14691&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE
%7CA354554961&asid=e407215ee4517dd5cbd09a6336bcfc62. Accessed 4 Nov. 2016.
South Africa: History." CultureGrams Online Edition.
ProQuest, 2016. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Outline
I- Opening Statement
A- Hook
B- Transition
C- Thesis
II- First Body Paragraph: Cause
A- Defining Apartheid
B- Minority vs. Majority
III- Second Body Paragraph: Effect
A- Nelson Mandela
B- Family Separation
IV- Third Body Paragraph: Solution
A- Nelson Mandela cont.
B- ANC
V- Final Paragraph: Conclusion
A- Summary of II
B- Summary of III
C- Summary of IV