Apartheid in South Africa and Segregation in America --Comparison Research Paper

Apartheid in South Africa and Segregation in America --Comparison - Research Paper Example It may also occur due to a belief that one group is inferior to the other. This was seen in recent history in which two major instances of oppression took place: Apartheid in South Africa and Segregation in America. Although, these countries are continents apart and had very different histories, they both practiced forms of oppression which led to the dehumanizing and harsh subjugation of the oppressed group. Apartheid and Segregation shared various aspects, but also demonstrated certain differences. The victims of oppression went about various ways to gain liberation in these countries. During this assignment it will be discovered how Apartheid and Segregation came into being. It will also be seen how these systems were implemented and what they entailed. Finally, the struggle for freedom will be looked at and how South Africa and America were turned into strong democratic countries. 2. BACKGROUND In April 1652 the first Europeans, the Dutch under the leadership of Jan van Riebeeck, landed in present day Cape Town and subsequently settled in South Africa. At first the plan was to set up a way station for ships that sailed from Europe to India. But later they wished to claim the land as their own; however, they discovered that there were local in habitants living on the land already, such as the Khoikhoi in the Cape region. For the most part these different groups coexisted; however, when the Dutch began expanding they began using the locals for slaves to aid in tilling farmland and tending to household duties. When the settlers began moving further into the country, annexing the land, they discovered more natives. Often these natives were reluctant to give up their land and several wars over land, water and grazing supplies broke out, such as the border wars against the Xhosa. This led to many deaths, bitterness and fear of one another1. The British were conducting the practice of Colonialism in various parts of the world and when it seemed as though Napoleon was taking interest in South Africa the British colonized the Cape in 1795. The first British settlers arrived in South Africa in 1820 and were given farmland by the colonialists. The Dutch, which were now known as the Boers, were forced to live under British rule. Their education was no longer in Dutch but only in English and they could only practice the Anglican form of religion and not their Neder Duitse form. The Boers were only involved in agricultural practices, making their financial standing far below that of the British and when slavery was abolished by Britain in 1834, the living standards of the Boers further declined. This led to the Groot Trek by the Boers. They embarked on a journey to find their own independent land. This led to the creation of the two Boer republics, the Orange Free State and Transvaal. The British also delegated certain land, which was known as reserves, for the black tribes to live in. Often these reserves were too small for all the people and the land was barren, making living conditions difficult. The British brought into being certain legislation which restricted the rights of Black and Indian people such as, the Natal Legislative Assembly Bill (1894), which deprived Indians of the right to vote; the General Pass Regulations Bill (1905), which prohibited blacks from voting, limited them to fixed areas and introduced the Pass System; the Asiatic Registration Act (1906) which required all Indians to register and carry passes; and the South Africa Act (1910) that enfranchised whites,