South African Apartheid. History Essay Research Paper

Part 1
Select a research topic area for Project 1 based on which of the following areas interests you the most. You will explore the selected topic a little later in this theme. Mark your selection in the right-hand column.
Drafting of the U.S. Constitution


Mao Zedong’s Rule Over China


South African Apartheid

Selected

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


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

Prior to this course, apartheid according to me meant a racial segregation system in South Africa that lasted between the periods of 1948 to the early years of the 1990s. In this system, the white population who formed the minority group dominated all areas of political, economic and social life in South Africa. The society was socially stratified with the highest status given to the white population who were followed by the Asian population, then the Coloreds with the black Africans given the lowest status. The racial segregation was evident in social events, public facilities, in the housing sector and employment whereby one’s race determined the type of treatment and opportunities he or she would be given. For instance, the non-white South Africans that had managed to get their own places were forcefully evicted from their homes to join the others living in segregated neighborhoods. Generally, the laws passed during this time were aimed at keeping the black Africans in South Africa separated from people of other races and thus ensuring that they remained in the lowest status in the society. Some of these laws included the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act of 1949 and the 1950 Immorality Amendment Act both of which sought to prevent the intermarriages between the black South Africans and the other races. There were also laws preventing the participation of the black population in the state and church. Following the ill treatment of blacks, some people including Nelson Mandela began resisting apartheid sparking violence that saw many people die.


Part 2
Now that you have identified your topic and described what you already know about the topic, what questions do you still have about the topic that you would like to know? Place your answers in the right-hand column.
Identify one question about the topic that you are curious about.

One question about this is that what factors directly contributed to this system of Apartheid?

Describe why this question matters to you personally.

This question matters to me as an aspiring defender of the human rights because it can reveal some of the laws that are put in place just to oppress the seemingly weak people in society....