Apartheid

Apartheid was a racist, discriminate law created by the white settlement in South Africa in the 1940's. The word Apartheid comes from the Afrikaans word meaning "apartness," and was created to show the difference between the races. South Africans were divided into three categories, black Africans(Bantu), white, and mixed races. This law lasted from the 1940's until the 1990's.

80% of South Africa's land was used for white residence, even though only 10% of the population was white people. This law also meant that transportation, housing, and public restrooms, were all separated by the color of people's skin.

Nelson Mandela, was one of the few people that was involved with the African National Congress, a multi-racial nationalist movement trying to change the law in South Africa. With all the riots going on about this law, the government began to stop the Apartheid system. Later on, Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president.