Civil Rights vs. Anti-Apartheid essays

Civil Rights vs. Anti-Apartheid essays One definition of equality states that it is an agreement in value, rank, properties, and rights. As simple as this concept might seem to those who have grown up in a world where equality is a standard of living, it has not always been that easy for certain races, mainly Africans. Dating back as far as four hundred years ago when blacks came to America as slaves, this race has endured an ongoing struggle for freedom in a white man's world. The motivation for this race to fight back first came in America during the late eighteen hundred's when the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were added to the Constitution during the Reconstruction Era. These Amendments were the first sign of hope that African Americans would receive justice and be recognized as a legitimate and equal race. Africans not only endured struggles in America, ironically, they faced the same issues in their native country, South Africa. White supremacy and segregation had been accepted in South Af rica prior to 1948, but apartheid was officially added to the South African government after the Afrikaner Nationalist party took office. The purpose of apartheid was to separate all races from each other. This government stated that the "whites, as the civilized race, were entitled to have absolute control over the state." Africans in both of these counties fought back against all odds to gain the respect that they deserved through both the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. ...