Paper Summary:

The paper explains that apartheid legislation divided individuals into racial groups, making blacks in South Africa without any citizenship, restricting their franchise opportunities and forcing some Africans to resettle. The paper discusses the role of Hendrik Verwoerd, a prominent spokesmen for apartheid, and prime minister for a time. Then, the paper traces the fall of apartheid during the leadership of Pieter Botha and F. W. de Klerk, and eventually of Nelson Mandela. The paper looks at the constitution of 1996 but points out that while it promised hope, the unrest was hard to quell. The paper contends that apartheid remains one of the twentieth century's biggest blunders concerning human welfare and simple decency.

From the Paper:

"Apartheid can be seen as the conglomeration of the Afrikaner-dominated government in the 1940s with the tradition of British colonialism primarily in South Africa. The notion of apartheid stems from an idea that means apartness or separateness. Apartheid is no doubt oppressive and discriminatory in every sense of the word and, looking back, seems to be an outlandish idea that no one in his or her right mind would favor in today's world. However, those in charge did favor the idea of segregation and attempted at every turn to implement it in South Africa. In a sense, apartheid was successful in the fact that it divided people on the basis of race and created contention where there could have been none. Apartheid is the black eye that rests upon those that refused to listen and hear the voices of freedom screaming in the streets and remains the example of how not to run a country or treat its citizens."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "The Pillars of the Constitution." Apartheid Museum Online. Information Retrieved February 7, 2009. <http://aae.greenwood.com>
• Chodorow, Stanley, et al. A History of the World. New York: Harcourt Brace Javanovich, Publishers. 1986.
• Craig, Albert, et al. The Heritage of World Civilizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2000.
• Louw, Eric. The Rise, Fall, and Legacy of Apartheid. New York: Longman. 2004.
• "History of the Freedom Charter." South African History Online. Information Retrieved February 7, 2009. <http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/freedom-charter/01_history.htm>

Visitors who viewed this Persuasive Essay also liked these:

• Essay # 29605 : "Apartheid"
• Essay # 26825 : "Religion and Diplomacy"
• Term Paper # 95445 : "The South African Union Constitution of 1910"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: