Causes and leaders of the Sharpeville massacre Flashcards
What is a pass book
What was its purpose
The pass book was a reference book that every black adult had to carry.
It was meant to show that Africans were temporary travellers in ‘white South Africa.
It was a basic method used by the apartheid government to control the movement of the black majority in
South Africa.
Officially what was the pass book called
What was it commonly called by blacks
Officially the pass was called a “reference book”.
It was commonly called the dompas - the Afrikaans word for’stupid pass.
What happened if a person didn’t have a pass on them when yeh police demanded to see it
They were instantly arrested, prosecuted , fined or jailed.
What did the pass laws determine and control
determined where black people
could live and work
determined the work they could do
stated that a black adult was allowed to be in a particular city or area.
In 1960, two of the political organisations resisting apartheid,, organised anti-pass campaigns. On the 21 March 1960.
Who were these tho politics organizations
the ANC and the PAC
What did they plan to do for the anti pass campaign
They planned to lead large crowds of people to the local police stations without their passes and demand arrest.
This would make the system unable to operate, as mass arrests would clog up the courts and the jails
What happened on 21 march 1960
a large crowd gathered outside the Sharpeville police station. They demanded to hand in their passes and to be arrested.
The police opened fire on the crowd killing 69 people and wounding 180 ppl . Most of those killed had been shot in the back as they tried to flee.
