Essay on Sharpeville Massacre - 3101 Words

SHARPEVILLE: BLOODY THE BATTLE THE EVENTS OF SHARPEVILLE (21 MARCH 1960), AND THE THREE WEEKS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING IT, HAVE OFTEN BEEN DESCRIBED AS A DECISIVE TURNING-POINT IN MODERN SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY. DOES A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EVIDENCE HEAR OUT THAT VIEW? â€Å"...one little boy had on an old blanket coat, which he held up behind his head, thinking, perhaps, that it might save him from the bullets. Some of the children, hardly as tall as the grass, were leaping like rabbits. Some were shot, too. Still the shooting went on... † -Humphrey Tyler, Witness and Assistant Editor of Drum Magazine The Sharpeville massacre of 1960 and the events it precipitated had a profound and long lasting effect on South African society and†¦show more content†¦The ANC’s ten point Freedom Charter of 1955 was another influential call to arms for the repressed groups of South Africa, inspiring them to take more direct mass action. However, the goals of the ANC did not by any means represent those of everyone in the anti-Apartheid struggle. This point was emphasised when the Pan African Congress (PAC) broke away from the ANC in November 1958, looking to represent a larger section of the South African population that were discontent with the apartheid regime. The most notable difference between the two groups was the PAC’s willingness to embrace the notion of multiracialism as a realistic political platform for the future, as opposed to the ANC’s purely Africanist objectives. The PAC also attracted the disenchanted youth demographic, who were eager to commit to their ideological beliefs with action. The PAC also focussed the need to assert their â€Å"African personality† and, as Sobukwe warned, ‘that acceptance of any indignity, any insult, any humiliation, is acceptance of inferiority’. Both groups, however, were inspired by Ghandi’s peaceful approach to resistance which had prevailed in India and, importantly, insisted upon peaceful, non-violent demonstrations at all times. Significant demonstrations in a developing Programme of Action succeeding the Defiance Campaign included a 1957 workers’ stay-at-home, the bus boycotts ofShow MoreRelatedCauses Of The Sharpeville Massacre1710 Words   |  7 PagesOn the 21st of March 1960, black residents of Sharpeville took to the police station to protest against the use of the dompas in South Africa. A dompass in those days was an Identification Document that determined who you were, your birth date, what race you are and permission from your employers to be in a specific place at a specific time. They also perpetuated the segregation within South Africa and severely limited the movements of the black population as well as the other minorities that wereRead MoreSharpville Massacre1100 Words   |  5 PagesDay (21 March, the date of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960) During the Apartheid era in South Africa, black people were oppressed beyond humane standards. They were deprived of racial equality with the whites. Also, they were exploited off from their land. Furthermore, they were restricted from certain privileges. All this caused retaliation by the blacks both politically and socially, and the eventual result was the Sharpeville Massacre. The Sharpeville massacre was a haunting historical responseRead MoreFinal Bus501962 Words   |  4 Pagesracial attacks that were raising ethical issues. Along with the South African government, they reshaped racial laws and regulations, continuing with violence against blacks. Nonwhites outnumbered whites by about 5 to 1. Violence consisted of the Sharpeville massacre, the Soweto Street death demonstration, and the death of black leader who was in police custody. Through such acts, South Africa’s direct investment rose dramatically. In 1960, the Pan-African Congress allowed blacks to be free of passbooksRead MoreEssay on The Role of Apartheid in South Africa1145 Words   |  5 Pagesthey had crossed that line. The Soweto riots signalled the beginning of the end for the racist, colonial state of South Africa. Sharpeville Massacre The Sharpeville Massacre occurred on March 21, 1960, when South African police opened fire on a crowd of black protesters. The confrontation occurred in the township of Sharpeville, in what is now Gauteng province. During the morning news spread through a township that a very important person would make a statementRead MoreHistory of Apartheid in South Africa730 Words   |  3 Pagesseries of strikes and boycotts termed the Programme of Action. In 1959 a group of African National Congress members formed the Pan Africanist Congress which organized a demonstration on March 21, 1960 in Sharpeville where 69 people were killed by police in what is now called the Sharpeville massacre. In the 1970’s some students started the Black Consciousness Movement which supported the black pride and African customs that apartheid tried to destroy. Labor unions joined the protests in 1973 andRead MoreThe ANC and PACs Influence on the Fall ofo the Apartheid Regime in South Africa1570 Words   |  6 Pagesinternal opposition groups such as the African National Congress and the Pan Africanist Congress, helped raise awareness of not only black, but also white South Africans to create boycotts inside the country such as the Soweto uprising and the Sharpeville inc ident. Second, External opposition from groups such as the UN against apartheid and different groups inside the United States, created sanctions and different business strategies to repel the South African regime. This was important because itRead MoreLeaders for Social and Political Change1007 Words   |  5 Pagesand information on access to non-black areas. If they were caught without a passbook, severe penalties ensued. On March 21, 1960, a group marched into Sharpeville in a peaceful protest against carrying these â€Å"passbooks†. The result was 67 people dead and 180 wounded at the hands of the law enforcement. This event is known as the Sharpeville Massacre, and is only one example of the brutality that blacks incurred during the time of the apartheid. Nelson Mandela was at the forefront of the fight forRead MoreThe Apartheid Of South African Apartheid1422 Words   |  6 PagesUnited Democratic Front, were all a result of the apartheid government due to political resistance. In 1960 South Africa’s policies were subject to international scrutiny and the Sharpeville massacre resulted in international condemnation. The United Nations conservative stance on the apartheid changed. The Sharpeville massacre had shaken the global community, with the apartheid regime threatening that it would possess violent behavior and lead into state terror to repress opposition to racial inequityRead MoreThe Social Political, Economic And Cultural Impact Of The Nationalist Apartheid Legislation Essay2174 Words   |  9 PagesNationalist apartheid legislation. Furthermore, it will examine several major resistance campaigns and significant historical figures that gave rise to the cessation of the apartheid legislation under new democratic rule, including the effects of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 and the transformative force of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Since the colonisation of South Africa by the Dutch in the 17th, century, the consolidation of the influence of the whites remained a prominent element of AfrikanerRead MoreA Girl Stands At The Gate Of The Happiest Place1601 Words   |  7 Pagesand possibly worse. Eventually, the people of South Africa had had enough. Black people united and together refused to carry their pass books, which led to the Sharpeville massacre. The police in Sharpeville had no regard for even children s lives; during the massacre, police shot children without their passports (â€Å"The Sharpeville Massacre† n.pag.). Outside influences of the Western world were even calling for reform in South Africa. Finally, the National Party sat down with the African National