What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law?

What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law
In South Africa, pass laws were a form of internal passport system designed to segregate the population, manage urbanization and allocate migrant labor. Also known as the natives’ law, pass laws severely limited the movements of not only black African citizens, but other people as well by restricting them to designated areas.

What was the purpose of the South African Pass law quizlet?

Pass laws in South Africa were designed to segregate the population and limit severely the movements of the non-white populace. This legislation was one of the dominant features of the country’s apartheid system.

What was the purpose of the Pass Law Act?

The Pass Laws was a system used to control the movement of Black, Indian and Coloured people in South Africa. The pass said which areas a person was allowed to move through or be in and if a person was found outside of these areas they would be arrested. A number of protest actions were held against these laws with the Apartheid State often responding with violence against the protestors.

What did pass laws do in South Africa?

Pass Laws – The Pass Laws Act of 1952 required black South Africans over the age of 16 to carry a pass book, known as a dompas, everywhere and at all times. The dompas was similar to a passport, but it contained more pages filled with more extensive information than a normal passport.

Within the pages of an individual’s dompas was their fingerprints, photograph, personal details of employment, permission from the government to be in a particular part of the country, qualifications to work or seek work in the area, and an employer’s reports on worker performance and behavior.
If a worker displeased their employer and they in turn declined to endorse the book for the pertinent time period, the worker’s right to stay in the area was jeopardized.

According to the Pass Law, government officials possessed the power to expel the worker from the area by adverse endorsement in the passbook. This technique was known as ‘endorsing out’ and could be carried out at any time and for any reason. Officials were not required to provide an explanation for their actions.

Family members of a worker who was ‘endorsed out’ also forfeited their right to remain in the area and faced eviction and exile to a bantustan. Forgetting to carry the dompas, misplacing it, or having it stolen rendered one liable to arrest and imprisonment. Each year, over 250,000 blacks were arrested for technical offenses under the Pass Laws,

As a result, the dompas became the most despised symbol of apartheid. Source: http://home.snu.edu/~dwilliam/f97projects/apartheid/Laws.htm Accessed March 16, 2009

What impact did the pass law have?

Passes on the gold mines – Thousands of Black men streamed to goldmines on the Witwatersrand to make a living. They were housed in compounds, had to carry passes and were separated from their families, who were not allowed to visit them. Black inhabitants of southern Africa had been mining and working gold for centuries before the arrival of European colonisers.

They found gold in rivers and streams and British immigrant Edward Button discovered the first subterranean deposits in 1871 in the eastern Transvaal Drakensberg. Another Brit, George Harrison, found the richest deposit in 1886 on the Witwatersrand. Laws relating to the new mining industry were immediately put in place and specified that no Coloured, Black or Indian person could work or live on a mine except as the servant of a White man.

Gold was more difficult to extract than diamonds and the labour needs of the new mines far exceeded that of the diamond diggings. Black people were already used extensively as labourers and tenants on wealthy White farms and, with large harvests, could survive off the excess of their employers’ harvests. Photo from book Soweto: A History by Philip Bonner and Lauren Segal Young men from all over the country came to the Witwatersrand goldmines under duress. They had to make a living, but the conditions they had to live in were misrepresented. Overcrowding and poverty made it extremely difficult to leave the mines once they had arrived.

Landless, poor and without any means to practice subsistence farming these people were forced to seek out wage paying jobs. The labour requirement of the growing number of gold mines forced mine-owners to actively recruit Black workers through agents that received a fee for each worker they were able to recruit.

They lied about living and working conditions, as well as wages, in order to convince Black men to work for the mines. Once the worker arrived at the mine he would be kept there for as long as possible. White workers were allowed to move to homes in the greater Johannesburg area with their families, but Black mineworkers were housed in compounds on the mines’ premises. Louis Botha was appointed as the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. On 31 May 1910 the British colonies of the Cape Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal became the Union of South Africa under Prime Minister Louis Botha. The new dispensation did not make any drastic changes and Black people retained the same inferior status they had under colonial rule.

Labour was a specific area of discrimination and in 1911 the Mines and Works Act reserved certain skilled positions for Whites. The Native Land Regulation Act of the same year made it law for Black people injured in industrial accidents to receive less compensation than Whites. They would also be held criminally responsible for strikes and any breaches of their work contracts and could not join the military.

Pass laws also remained in place and in May 1918 Black workers embarked on strike action against low wages, poor housing and Passes. The Bantu Women’s League, precursor of the African National Congress Women’s League, also led an anti-Pass campaign during this period. J.B.M. Hertzog became Prime Minister of South Africa in 1924. His greatest ambition was the elevation of the Afrikaner The Union government experienced internal conflict, specifically between Botha and cabinet member J.B.M. Hertzog. Hertzog, the founder of the National Party (NP) in 1919, was an intense Afrikaner nationalist and promoted the idea of racial segregation of Afrikaners, English, and Black residents of South Africa.

In 1924 the NP won the general elections with the assistance of the Labour Party (LP). The new Pact Government under Hertzog held power until 1929. It was a time of economic development and industrialisation with a bias towards White workers. Hertzog’s drive to elevate the Afrikaner went hand-in-hand with the subjugation of Black South Africans.

The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) and the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) joined forces in a Pass burning campaign in 1930. The Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1932, had far reaching impact on the entire country. White and Black were plunged into extreme poverty, but the government focused on alleviating the plight of Whites while ignoring Black suffering.

Increasing numbers of Black people moved to urban areas in a bid to survive and Pass laws were strictly enforced. This did not stem the tide of desperate people. In 1930 the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) and the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) began a Pass-burning campaign for the 16th of December when Black and Indian people all over the country would gather to burn their Pass Books.

In Durban police stormed the protesters and ended up killing four people. The Pass burning continued until February 1931 when the campaign was crushed. In 1929 the issue of colour was overtly used as a campaigning tool in national elections for the first time.

Hertzog represented the NP as the champion of White South Africa. Voting for the NP meant voting for a White South Africa. Once he obtained victory Hertzog turned his attention to attaining full independence from Britain. The Pact government remained in power until 1934, when the NP forged a bond with the South African Party under Jan Smuts in order to ensure victory and the Fusion or Coalition government was born.

It remained in power until 1939 when it broke apart as a result of disagreements regarding participation and neutrality in the Second World War and Hertzog resigned from his position as Prime Minister, leaving Jan Smuts to take over his responsibilities. Administrating Pass laws was costly and difficult because all Black people in urban areas had to be checked by authorities. The constant humiliation and monitoring caused intense anger in Black communities. From 1939 to 1948 South Africa participated in the Second World War and benefited from new war economy.

Black families began migrating to cities as a result of increased job opportunities and the grinding poverty they were experiencing in rural reserves created for them through the 1913 Land Act. The urban Black population of the country virtually doubled from 1939 to 1946. In 1942 Prime Minister Smuts appointed an Inter-Departmental Committee on the Social, Health and Economic Conditions of Urban Natives to be chaired by the Secretary of Native Affairs, Douglas Smit.

In his report, which was presented in the same year, Smit stated that Pass Laws inspired a “burning sense of grievance and injustice” in Black South Africans. He added that it would be better to face the results of the abolition of Passes than continue to enforce them because it was politically and administratively too expensive. Malan, Strijdom and Verwoerd all supported and perpetuated apartheid. The unprecedented labour demand sparked by the Second World War forced the government to slacken entry control laws and to debate the revision of Pass laws. The 1946 Fagan Commission, under Judge Henry Fagan, was appointed to address this issue.

Although the Commission recommended that Passes be abolished they remained in place. On 26 May 1948 the Herenigde, or Reunited, National Party (HNP), under D.F. Malan, won the national general elections ushering in the era of apartheid. Malan was determined to implement his policy of separate development under the backdrop of Afrikaner Nationalism and he did so with great success until his retirement in 1954.

He also merged the Afrikaner Party (AP) with the HNP, to once again establish the National Party (NP), consolidating Afrikaner support and eliminating competition for Afrikaner votes.J.G. Strijdom replaced him as Prime Minister and the NP continued to expand. The Separate Amenities Act separated the residents of South Africa through forcing different races to use separate public facilities. Strijdom’s tenure as Prime Minister cemented the apartheid policies that Malan had initiated through legislation. Malan passed the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act in 1949 and in 1950 the Immorality Act became law. Passbooks helped authorities to trace the whereabouts of Black, Coloured and Indian people A hated law passed during this period was the Natives (Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents) Act of 1952. This forced Black South Africans to carry a range of documents, including a photograph, place of birth, employment records, tax payments and criminal records, and enabled the government to further restrict their movement.

It was illegal to be without a Pass the penalty for which was arrest and jail. The Natives (Prohibition of Interdicts) Act of 1956 removed all legal recourse for objecting to the removal of Black people from certain residential areas. The Urban Areas Act limited Black people to 72 hours in an urban area without permission from a specific municipal officeholder.

Dissatisfaction of Black South Africans grew to unprecedented levels. Popular resistance spread and in 1949, after the elections, the ANC launched a militant, armed anti-apartheid campaign through its Youth League for the first time since its birth in 1912. Malan’s ambitions for the Afrikaner nation included full independence for South Africa from Britain. He passed the South African Citizen Act in 1949, removed the British Privy Council in 1950, introduced a new anthem and flag and set the stage for South Africa to become a republic.

Strijdom advanced on this effort.
Verwoerd took the practical steps to make it a reality with growing White support for apartheid and against increasing international condemnation and isolation.
In 1960 Verwoerd decided on a White referendum for 5 October to decide on the establishment of a republic.
A majority voted in support of him.

In March 1961 Verwoerd attended the Commonwealth conference in London and was forced to withdraw South Africa’s membership following criticism from other members. Legislation to establish a republic had already been tabled in January 1961. On 31 May 1961 the Republic of South Africa (RSA) came into being. In 1966 a Parliamentary messenger called Dimitry Tsafendas stabbed and killed Verwoerd in Parliament. Under the new republic the suppression of Black South Africans continued unabated. The RSA became increasingly isolated from the rest of the world as a result of its apartheid policies and Black resistance soared.

The 1970’s were marked by turbulence and insecurity as apartheid was met at every turn with popular mobilisation and response. International outrage grew and events like the 1976 Soweto Youth Uprising earned the support of the international community for the cause of freedom in South Africa. The country’s relationship with its neighbours also worsened severely as a result of the government’s efforts to secure minority White rule by way of manipulating politics beyond its own borders.

On 6 September 1966, a uniformed parliamentary messenger called Dimitry Tsafendas assassinated Verwoerd in Parliament.B.J. Vorster, Minister of Justice since 1961 took his place as Prime Minister. He ruthlessly continued Verwoerd’s implementation of apartheid policies.

He resigned from his post in 1978 and became figurehead position of President. His successor, P.W. Botha, became the first Premier forced to temper apartheid. He was motivated by growing economic crisis and forced to implement major reforms to address the situation. Previous leaders had hoped that decline in urban Black locations would force development within the homelands and attract people to them.

This strategy failed and Black people continued to stream to urban areas in a bid to escape the grinding poverty of the reserves. Botha’s government granted Black workers the right to form unions, but demanded that all unions, registered or not, hand over membership registers to the state.

This in effect negated the right to unionise because of the exposure of individuals to state security for surveillance and repression.
Botha also implemented some constitutional change as part of his reform measures.
The 1961 constitution made the head of state position more symbolic than politically potent.

Botha reviewed this in a new constitution enacted in 1983 following a white referendum in 1982. He became South Africa’s first State President with full political power. Black protest escalated and Botha declared a State of Emergency in July 1985 to crush the violence.

This failed.
Botha’s “Rubicon ” speech was received with international contempt.
Efforts to control urban Blacks had proven hopeless and the government repealed the Pass laws on 23 July 1986.
From 1800 between 15 and 20 million people had been arrested and for violating these laws.
Resistance to Passes Pass laws inspired several resistance campaigns.

Before South Africa’s transition to a union in 1910, protest against colonial laws seemed futile. In March 1912 a group of Black and Coloured women from the Orange Free State sent a petition against passes signed by 5 000 people to Prime Minister Louis Botha.

After failing to receive a response 6 women were sent to meet with Henry Burton, the Minister of Native Affairs.
Again they were ignored and by May 1913 they decided to pursue more aggressive anti-Pass campaigns.
On 28 and 29 May they resolved never to carry Passes again and said, “We are done with pleading, we now demand!” This passive resistance campaign was met with arrests in Bloemfontein, Jagersfontein and Winburg, in the Orange Free State.

In 1914 the government relaxed Pass laws for women and the resistance campaign ended. Charlotte Maxeke Charlotte Maxeke and the Bantu Women’s League launched an anti-Pass campaign in 1918. They hoped to force the government to abandon the use of Passes for women completely. In May 1918 Black workers across the country went on strike against low wages, poor housing and Passes for men.

Many of the protesters were arrested and imprisoned. The Bantu Women’s League, that preceded the African National Congress Women’s League, under Charlotte Maxeke, launched a campaign to end the use of Passes for Black women completely. The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) launched an anti-pass campaign in 1943.

In March 1944 labour activist, Josie Palmer convened the Women’s Anti-Pass Conference in Johannesburg. In 1945 the Urban Areas Consolidation Act was passed, further limiting the freedoms of Black South Africans. At the 1947 International Women’s Day meeting in Johannesburg, the CPSA decided to launch a “non-colour bar women’s organisation”.

The Transvaal All-Women’s Union was born, changing its name to the Union of South African Women in 1949.
It never grew to become a national group, but Palmer later helped found the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW),
The Federation of South Africa Women (FEDSAW) was instrumental in the 1956 Women’s March against Passes in Pretoria.

Passes gave rise to great protests from women during the 1950’s. In 1950 proposed changes to the Urban Areas Act were leaked to the public. The changes involved further restrictions on Black women and a more efficient Pass system to facilitate this. South African women protested vehemently. Anti-Pass campaigns took place across the country. National demonstrations and protest meetings made the news in The Guardian with headlines like “We will not carry any Passes: African women indignant”, “African women up in arms, mounting opposition to Passes for women” and “Campaign against Passes for women gathers force”.

Faced with such an onslaught the government decided to put off Passes for women. When the proposal resurfaced in 1952 protests were launched in Cape Town, Cato Manor, Port Elizabeth, Oudtshoorn, Stellenbosch, Ixopo and Umzinto. In September 1955 the government announced it would begin issuing Passbooks for women in January 1956.

This sparked more resistance and women in the Transvaal began planning a mass demonstration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria to take place the following year. This event was preceded by a mass demonstration organised by FEDSAW of more than 2 000 women of all races on 27 October 1955.

What is the meaning of a pass law?

/ˈpæs ˌlɔːz/ laws controlling where people can live, work, and travel inside a country, used especially in the past under the system of apartheid (= racial separation) in South Africa : Introduced in 1923, the pass laws were designed by the South African government to prevent freedom of movement of non-whites.

How did the pass law affect people’s lives in South Africa?

From 1948 through the 1990s, a single word dominated life in South Africa. Apartheid —Afrikaans for “apartness”—kept the country’s majority Black population under the thumb of a small white minority. It would take decades of struggle to stop the policy, which affected every facet of life in a country locked in centuries-old patterns of discrimination and racism. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law A sign common in Johannesburg, South Africa, reading ‘Caution Beware Of Natives’. Ejor/Getty Images The segregation began in 1948 after the National Party came to power. The nationalist political party instituted policies of white supremacy, which empowered white South Africans who descended from both Dutch and British settlers in South Africa while further disenfranchising Black Africans.

The system was rooted in the country’s history of colonization and slavery. White settlers had historically viewed Black South Africans as a natural resource to be used to turn the country from a rural society to an industrialized one. Starting in the 17th century, Dutch settlers relied on slaves to build up South Africa.

Around the time that slavery was abolished in the country in 1863, gold and diamonds were discovered in South Africa. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law Many white women in South Africa learned how to use firearms for self-protection in the event of racial unrest in 1961, when South Africa became a republic. Dennis Lee Royle/AP Photo That discovery represented a lucrative opportunity for white-owned mining companies that employed—and exploited—Black workers.

Those companies all but enslaved Black miners while enjoying massive wealth from the diamonds and gold they mined. Like Dutch slave holders, they relied on intimidation and discrimination to rule over their Black workers. The mining companies borrowed a tactic that earlier slaveholders and British settlers had used to control Black workers: pass laws,

As early as the 18th century, these laws had required members of the Black majority, and other people of color, to carry identification papers at all times and restricted their movement in certain areas. They were also used to control Black settlement, forcing Black people to reside in places where their labor would benefit white settlers. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law A woman shows the “interior passport” that she must have to enter Cape Town during work hours, circa 1984. The rest of the time, people of color were not allowed in the cities. Alain Nogues/Sygma/Getty Images Those laws persisted through the 20th century as South Africa became a self-governing dominion of the United Kingdom.

Between 1899 and 1902, Britain and the Dutch-descended Afrikaners fought one another in the Boer War, a conflict that the Afrikaners eventually lost. Anti-British sentiment continued to foment among white South Africans, and Afrikaner nationalists developed an identity rooted in white supremacy. When they took control in 1948, they made the country’s already discriminatory laws even more draconian.

Racist fears and attitudes about “natives” colored white society. Though apartheid was supposedly designed to allow different races to develop on their own, it forced Black South Africans into poverty and hopelessness. “Grand” apartheid laws focused on keeping Black people in their own designated “homelands.” And “petty” apartheid laws focused on daily life restricted almost every facet of Black life in South Africa. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law Children from the townships of Langa and Windermere scavenging close to Cape Town, in February 1955. Bela Zola/Mirrorpix/Getty Images Pass laws and apartheid policies prohibited Black people from entering urban areas without immediately finding a job.

It was illegal for a Black person not to carry a passbook. Black people could not marry white people. They could not set up businesses in white areas. Everywhere from hospitals to beaches was segregated. Education was restricted. And throughout the 1950s, the NP passed law after law regulating the movement and lives of Black people.

Though they were disempowered, Black South Africans protested their treatment within apartheid. In the 1950s, the African National Congress, the country’s oldest Black political party, initiated a mass mobilization against the racists laws, called the Defiance Campaign, What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law A crowd at a Johannesburg protest meeting which defied a ban on such gatherings, circa 1952. Popperfoto/Getty Images Scroll to Continue These acts of defiance were met with police and state brutality. Protesters were beaten and tried en masse in unfair legal proceedings.

But though the campaigns took a toll on Black protesters, they didn’t generate enough international pressure on the South African government to inspire reforms. In 1960, South African police killed 69 peaceful protesters in Sharpeville, sparking nationwide dissent and a wave of strikes. A subgroup of protesters who were tired of what they saw as ineffective nonviolent protests began to embrace armed resistance instead.

Among them was Nelson Mandela, who helped organize a paramilitary subgroup of the ANC in 1960. He was arrested for treason in 1961, and was sentenced to life in prison for charges of sabotage in 1964. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law 30,000 protestors march from Langa into Cape Town in South Africa, to demand the release of prisoners in 1960. The prisoners were arrested for protesting against the segregationist pass laws. Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images In response to the 1960 protests, the government declared a state of emergency. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law South African marines troops stopping a man in Nyanga, near Cape Town, in April 1960. Despite the state of emergency, black protestors tried to march to Cape Town to demand the release of black leaders, arrested after the Sharpeville massacre the month before.

OFF/AFP/Getty Images Anti-apartheid protests continued as life for Black South Africans became more and more dire under apartheid. On June 16, 1976, up to 10,000 Black schoolchildren, inspired by new tenets of Black consciousness, marched to protest a new law that forced them to learn Afrikaans in schools.

Steve Biko, anti-apartheid activist and co-founder of the South African Students’ Organization, spearheaded the movement and was arrested multiple times for his activism before dying from injuries sustained while in police custody on September 12, 1977.

During the 1980s, resistance became even more fierce.
Peaceful and violent protests finally began to spark international attention.
Nelson Mandela, the movement’s most powerful and well-known representative, had been imprisoned since 1964.
But he inspired his followers to continue resisting and conducted secret negotiations to end apartheid.

By the end of the 1980s, discontentment was growing among white South Africans about what they saw as South Africa’s diminished international standing. By then, the country faced sanctions and economic ramifications as international businesses, celebrities, and other governments pressured the government to end discrimination. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law A South African family moved from Soweto to the Orange Farm shantytown in South Africa, December 1989. Lily Franey/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images But when South African president P.W. Botha resigned in 1989, the stalemate finally broke. Botha’s successor, F.W.

de Klerk, decided it was time to negotiate to end apartheid in earnest. In February 1990, de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and other opposition groups and released Mandela, whose secret negotiations had thus far failed, from prison. Despite continued political violence, Mandela, de Klerk and their allies began intensive negotiations.

In 1994, the NP was finally defeated and Mandela became president of South Africa. A constitutional assembly was convened and South Africa adopted a new constitution that allowed for a South Africa that was not ruled by racial discrimination. It took effect in 1997. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law Nelson Mandela, and seven other members of the anti-apartheid African National Congress, were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964.30 years later Mandela became the president of South Africa. AFP/Getty Images By then, South Africa had dismantled apartheid for good.

Who created the pass laws in South Africa?

Summary – Pass laws were designed to control the movement of Africans under apartheid. These laws evolved from regulations imposed by the Dutch and British in the 18th and 19th-century slave economy of the Cape Colony. In the 19th century, new pass laws were enacted for the purpose of ensuring a reliable supply of cheap, docile African labor for the gold and diamond mines.

In 1952, the government enacted an even more rigid law that required all African males over the age of 16 to carry a “reference book” (replacing the previous passbook) containing personal information and employment history.
Africans often were compelled to violate the pass laws to find work to support their families, so harassment, fines, and arrests under the pass laws were a constant threat to many urban Africans.

Protest against these humiliating laws fueled the anti-apartheid struggle – from the Defiance Campaign (1952-54), the massive women’s protest in Pretoria (1956), to burning of passes at the police station in Sharpeville where 69 protesters were massacred (1960).

How did the people respond to the pass law?

Black South Africans resist pass laws and mount general strike (Sharpeville Massacre), 1960 In 1960 South Africa was under the rule of the National Party, which was imposing harsh, demeaning laws on black South Africans. The party was made up entirely of white people, mostly the descendants of Dutch immigrants.

The party was devoted to apartheid and white supremacy, maintained through a collection of policies, including the pass laws. Pass laws required all black Africans to carry a small booklet containing personal information and a history of employment. If police caught a black African in public without one of these booklets, the police could arrest and fine the individual.

Black Africans had made previous attempts to abolish the pass laws, but none had been successful. In 1960 the African National Congress (ANC) decided to launch a campaign to rid South Africa of these laws. Soon afterwards, the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) announced that they would also work towards this goal.

Their plan was to encourage people to go to police stations without their passes, in order to fill the Sharpeville jail with arrested resisters. On the morning of 21 March 1960, the PAC leaders gathered near the Sharpeville police station and started walking toward it while singing songs about freedom.

The police were waiting for them, and at first did not allow the protesters into the station. Around 11:00 am the police started arresting the demonstrators. A few hours later 300 police officers and 5,000 protesters had gathered at the scene. Shortly after 1pm the crowd pushed over a police officer, reportedly by accident.

One of the younger officers panicked and opened fire on the crowd, and several others followed suit. After about two minutes, police had killed sixty-nine people and wounded 180 more. This came to be known as the ‘Sharpeville Massacre.’ On 22 March, PAC announced that Robert Sobukwe, the president of the PAC, and 130 other members had been arrested.

By 27 March, the police had announced the temporary suspension of pass laws because the jails could not hold any more people. On 28 March, the ANC began a stay-at-home protest and strike to call attention to the Sharpeville Massacre. To highlight their opposition to the passes, protesters started publicly burning them in bonfires.

On 30 March, the government declared a State of Emergency. Police arrested over 2,000 people. Around noon that day, 30,000 black South Africans marched into Cape Town and demanded to see the Minister of Justice. The Chief of Security promised to grant them an audience and the crowd dispersed, but there was no meeting.

The government also banned the ANC and the PAC, but this did little to lower membership. On 2 April, the New York Times estimated that 70,000 people were involved in these organizations. On 6 April, the police once again started enforcing the pass laws.

On 4 May, a court sentenced Robert Sobukwe to three years in prison for his involvement in the protests. By 6 May, the total number of people arrested because of the protest had grown to 18,000. Others involved in the strike, which started on 28 March, had returned to work. The State of Emergency was lifted on 31 August, but 10,500 people remained in jails.

The campaign of resistance to the pass laws ended in September. On 5 October, fifty-two percent of white South Africans voted in favour of an Independent Republic that would no longer be a part of the British Commonwealth; this did not change apartheid laws in any way.

Shortly after this, the United Nations General Assembly began to pressure the new government to put an end to apartheid. Over time, apartheid repression became even worse. The PAC and ANC continued to exist, but remained illegal, and most of their leaders were in prison. Further campaigns were launched, implicitly or explicitly against apartheid.

South African apartheid fell in 1986. : Black South Africans resist pass laws and mount general strike (Sharpeville Massacre), 1960

What changed when the pass law was put in place in South Africa?

Designed to Control Movement – Under apartheid, pass laws were designed to control the movement of Black Africans, and they are considered one of the most grievous methods that the South African government used to support apartheid. The resulting legislation (specifically Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents Act No.67 of 1952 ) introduced in South Africa required Black Africans to carry identity documents in the form of a “reference book” when outside a set of reserves (later known as homelands or bantustans.) Pass laws evolved from regulations that the Dutch and British enacted during the 18th-century and 19th-century enslavement economy of the Cape Colony.

In the 19th century, new pass laws were enacted to ensure a steady supply of cheap African labor for the diamond and gold mines.
In 1952, the government passed an even more stringent law that required all African men age 16 and over to carry a “reference book” (replacing the previous passbook) which held their personal and employment information.

(Attempts to force women to carry passbooks in 1910, and again during the 1950s, caused strong protests.)

Why is it important to know about the pass law today in South Africa?

In the 19th century, new pass laws were enacted to ensure a steady supply of cheap African labor for the diamond and gold mines. In 1952, the government passed an even more stringent law that required all African men age 16 and over to carry a “reference book” (replacing the previous passbook) which held their personal and employment information.

(Attempts to force women to carry passbooks in 1910, and again during the 1950s, caused strong protests.)

What are the pass laws quizlet?

What was the Pass Laws Act? Segregation of populations. – This new law replaced the existing passbooks with more comprehensive documents that Africans would require to carry on their persons at all times. – The new documents were 96-page booklets that were officially known as ‘reference booklets’.

Why was the pass system introduced?

After the 1885 Northwest Rebellion (also known as the Northwest Resistance), the federal government developed the pass system — a process by which Indigenous people had to present a travel document authorized by an Indian agent in order to leave and return to their reserves.

The pass system was a way of controlling the movement of Indigenous people.
It aimed to prevent large gatherings, seen by many White settlers as a threat to their settlements.
Colonial officials also believed that the pass system would prevent another conflict like the Northwest Resistance.
Used in conjunction with policies such as the Indian Act and residential schools, the pass system was part of an overall policy of assimilation.

Though it never became a law, the pass system restricted Indigenous freedom in the Prairie West during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has had lasting impacts on generations of Indigenous people, as restrictions on mobility caused damage to Indigenous economies, cultures and societies.

It aimed to prevent large gatherings, seen by many White settlers as a threat to their settlements. Colonial officials also believed that the pass system would prevent another conflict like the Northwest Resistance. Used in conjunction with policies such as the Indian Act and residential schools, the pass system was part of an overall policy of assimilation. What Was The Purpose Of The South African Pass Law Stub from a reserve pass issued in Duck Lake Agency to John Constant who was traveling to visit his children at industrial school, 1889. Stub from a reserve pass issued in Duck Lake Agency to Seepawpakao who was traveling to pick berries, 1889.

What is the purpose of law quizlet?

What is purpose of law? The purpose of laws is rules of conduct, usually found enacted in the form of statutes that regulate relationships between people and also between parties. What would a society without laws be like? Without laws would have the primary functions of the law is to maintain public order.