The Apartheid Of South Africa - 1174 Words

Some periods in human history are simply shameful. The period of apartheid policy in South Africa was one of these times. Apartheid featured a rebirth of racist legislature in South Africa from the 1950s to the 1990s. Essentially, these laws treated people who were not white as completely separate from society; the term apartheid literally means â€Å"apartness.† The national legislature in South Africa wanted to suppress blacks and ensure a white supremacy in the government. Basically, political goals predominated over human rights. Fortunately, enough support eventually rallied to abolish apartheid. Nevertheless, it was still unjust and devastating. The South African government’s policy of apartheid was a deplorable chapter in human†¦show more content†¦Apartheid laws were created to ensure a white supremacy in the governemnt. In 1948, the apartheid laws first began, and â€Å"racial discrimination was institutionalized.† Among the first aparth eid laws were a prohibition of marriage between whites and blacks, and the distinction of ``white-only jobs. Then, these laws became even more serious. â€Å"In 1950, the Population Registration Act required that all South Africans be racially classified into one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed decent)†. This specific law enabled a myriad of racist legislature to be enacted. For example, one law required that those classified as blacks carry a pass book containing their fingerprints to step foot in a non-black area. Also, in 1951, the Bantu Authorities Act divided African reserves into â€Å"homelands.† Each African was designated a homeland, and their political rights, including voting, were confined to its borders. The goal of this was to eradicate any sort of African power in the South African Parliament; whites desired â€Å"hegemony† over the people. Essentially, between 1976 to 1981, four homelands were formed and â€Å"nine million South Africans were denationalized.† Notwithstanding, the homelands â€Å"refused the nominal independence†¦and [maintained] pressure for political rights within the country†. Outrageously, Africans from these homelands were required