The steps below are meant to prepare you for a socratic seminar about South Africa's apartheidsystem. Remember, you should be able to transfer your understanding of power dynamics to anywhere on the globe and any time in history or in the present. Step 1: Read through the following website (there are 4 pages). Do not take notes! Just read it!
Step 2: Answer the following questions in your notebook.
-What are some of the important resources in South Africa?
-Why was the apartheid system invented?
-What were some of the laws that kept the races separated?
-List some tactics used to enforce the apartheid system.
-How did technology support apartheid?
-What were some tactics used to end apartheid?
Consider the strategies and the conditions in the following struggles for power.
Be prepared to discuss and provide connections to other topics we have covered this year.
More Information about the Constitutional Amendments
In 1865, after the civil war, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments were passed.
13TH AMENDMENT
AMENDMENT XIII
SECTION 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
SECTION 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
14TH AMENDMENT
AMENDMENT XIV
SECTION 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
15TH AMENDMENT
AMENDMENT XV
SECTION 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
It wasn't until 1920 that the 19th amendment was passed.
19TH AMENDMENT
AMENDMENT XIX
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
In class, we have been discussing power. Who has power? How does power shift?
Currently, our nation, along with other developed countries, is in the middle of what has been deemed a "culture war" where the topic of gay marriage is concerned. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, it is important to think about the tactics and tools used by both sides to promote their ideas and, ultimately, to maintain or obtain power.
Consider the following links, images and videos. Be prepared to discuss your thoughts in class, utilizing relevant terminology and concepts to dig deeper into the question of power.
Perspective Shift (please note that this video contains some disturbing content)
Consider how this same tactic could be used for a different issue or a different group.
Contextualizing Anti-Miscegenation Laws
Now consider a similar historical debate. Remember, our goal is to contextualize history. Rather than judge the past, we must seek understanding.
"Anti-miscegenation laws or miscegenation laws were laws that enforced racial segregation at the level of marriage and intimate relationships by criminalizinginterracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of different races. Such laws were first introduced in North America from the late seventeenth century onwards by several of the Thirteen Colonies, and subsequently by many US states and US territories and remained in force in many US states until 1967. After the Second World War, an increasing number of states repealed their anti-miscegenation laws. In 1967, in Loving v. Virginia, the remaining anti-miscegenation laws were held to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. Similar laws were also enforced in Nazi Germany as part of the Nuremberg laws, and in South Africaas part of the system of Apartheid. In the United States, interracial marriage, cohabitation and sex have been termed "miscegenation" since the term was coined in 1863. Contemporary usage of the term is less frequent, except to refer to historical laws banning the practice." -Wikipedia Entry Read about this case from 1967, just 47 years ago): Supreme Court Case: Loving vs. Virginia
1. For each section write down the guiding questions/topics in your notebook. These will be our framework for our discussion next class. Please take notes on all of the links/footage.
Note: We will have a socratic seminar and quiz during our next class.
2. Complete any assignment highlighted in orange.
3. EVERYTHING on this post is due by next class.
Section 1: Power and Oppression
How does oppression work? What does it look like, feel like, sound like? How do humans maintain power?
Cultural Symbols: Does changing the currency (money) of a country matter? Why? How does this relate to power?
Jim Crow Laws
Look over these examples of Jim Crow laws. In your notebook, write down a few laws that stand out to you. Also, be sure to write down a synthesis of what you understand about the Jim Crow era, taking into account the Origins, Purpose, Values/Beliefs, and Limitations of the system.
Listen to this talk about what oppression feels like to someone. Be prepared to discuss your understanding/take away.
Assignment:
Find an example from another country that is similar to the Jim Crow era or an example similar to what Panti is describing.
Post it on your blog and discuss your thoughts. Entitle the post, "Oppression."
Section 2: Acts of Resistance
Watch the first 5 minutes of this footage from the Selma to Montgomery march. You do not need to watch the entire thing. What do you notice?
Watch 5-10 minutes of the documentaries below and note the tactics of resistance used to shift power. (I recommend that you consider watching the full documentaries if you have time!)
