In 1984, a new government, Apartheid, took power in South Africa. It created new standards and laws that majority of the citizens complained to abide by. There were many nonviolent protests that took place throughout this 45-year period. One important man, known as Nelson Mandela, was inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s actions, in 1846, against a tax supporting a war Thoreau didn’t believe in. Mandela wanted Apartheid abolished and participated in multiple campaigns to support his idea. Just like Thoreau, Mandela was eventually arrested for refusing to accept harsh, government orders. Through nonviolent protests and inessential jail time, Thoreau and Mandela abide by their personal beliefs against a strict, demanding government to eventually …show more content…
The racial classification, under the Population Registration Act of 1950, was the first thing that set up roaring acts towards this new, all white government. It demanded that all South African citizens register with the government according to one of the four racial groups. Races began to be physically separated from one another under the Bantu Self Government Act of 1959. It forced all “classes”, except for whites, to leave their homes and live in different areas based on where their specific “class” was assigned. . Nonwhites were removed out of cities where a majority of whites lived. Land and property that was left behind from migrating blacks was sold to white farmers for low prices. This form of segregation was also known as the “black spot removal.” All together, there were a total of over 3.5 million people that were forced out of their homes and eventually became stuck in poverty and homelessness. Just like the segregation of whites and coloreds during the civil war, new laws in South Africa began to have either segregated, or white only water fountains, schools, and park benches. Marriages between the two were banned along with no sexual relations. Ultimately, citizenship was taken away from black South Africans to the point where they weren’t able to vote or own property. These conditions worsened over time and created ongoing tension between the entire