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Australian Constitution (AU)
The Constitution of Australia united 6 colonies into one single colony. The Constitution is a set of rules that Australia would be run by as well as how to run parliament. The first-ever Prime Minister (Edmund Barton) was sworn into Parliament. The constitution cannot change it can only initiate proposed changes to the constitution. A change to the constitution also has to have approval from Australian citizens. -
Stolen Generation (AU)
Starting in the 1910s children from first nations were forcibly removed from their families due to government policy. This generation was named the Stolen Generation. These children were taught 'white ways' and told to reject their heritage. Their names were changed and they were only allowed to speak English. Abuse and neglect were common among the institutions the children were placed in. It wasn't until 2008 that an apology was made by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. -
Women under Apartheid
Under Apartheid women of colour find it even harder to find a job and support themselves. They were deprived of their human rights as individuals under the apartheid system. The only work women could take up was agriculture or domestic jobs, though these jobs paid low if they paid at all. Even in rural areas women still ran into legal troubles. -
South Afican General Election (A)
In the 1948 parliamentary election the United Party which had led the government since 1933, was overthrown by the Reunited Nation Party (HNP) lead by Daniel Francois Malan. The HNP saw that many white South Africans felt threatened by black political members so they create a strict racial segregation policy. This new system was labeled 'Apartheid'. Apartheid promised white safety and security from black on white crime and violence. -
Prohibition of Mixed Marriage Act (AU)
The Prohibition of Mixed Marriage Act banned marriages between Europeans and non-Europeans. I was one of the first acts of Apartheid put into place. The police were put in charge of enforcing the act and would follow people closely who they thought were violating the act. If found guilty the person would be fined and sent to jail. Even mixed marriages in other countries were not recognized by South Africa. -
Colour Classification (A)
The Population Registration Act required every South African citizen to be classified and registered in racial categories under the Apartheid. Black, White and Coloured were the three main categories with Indians added later. A office was set up to overview the classification process. Certificates were issued to keep track everyone. -
Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act (A)
The Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act was created under Apartheid. The act made it so any squatting would be forcibly removed. It allowed evictions and destruction of the home of squatters. Squatters would also be fined. The act was updated regularly to give upper classes or whites more power. Anyone who was caught squatting was removed and put in a place where their employment is needed. -
Bantu Education Act (A)
The Bantu Education Act was created under Apartheid. Schools became segregated and a separate education system was created for black South Africans to prepare them for labor. Separate universities were also created for black South Africans. Funding was also only used on white schools and the bare minimum was given to black schools. -
Rosa Parks (US)
Rosa Parks, an American activist, decided she was tired of the segregation on the bus so instead of sitting at the back of the bus with the rest of the black Americans, she sat at the front of the bus and refused to move until she was arrested. Following her arrest Parks became a symbol for the civil rights movement and was called the 'mother of the civil rights movement'. Her arrest also started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
Sport Policy (A)
In the mid-1950s Apartheid forbid multiracial sports, which also meant any overseas team with multiracial teams couldn't compete in games in South Africa. Other countries complained about these new rules but to no success. The South African Sports Association was created to try and secure the rights of all players on the global field to no effect. They even approached the Olympic committee to try and get South Africa banned from the Olympics, but they only got a warning. -
Little Rock Central High School (US)
Nine African-American students, with excellent grades, were accepted into Little Rock Central High School. On their first day, white protesters gathered outside the building and harassed the students. The students were taken away by military personals and for the rest of the year, they were walked from class to class by federal troops. The students were harassed by their fellow classmates for the rest of the year. In the end, only one of the nine students graduated. -
Sit-In (US)
Starting in 1958 the NAACP Youth Council started sit-ins in stores until they were severed or arrested. Black college students normally lead the sit-ins, they encouraged each other to dress professionally and act respectfully. The police normally removed protested quickly sometimes using brutal force to physically remove them. The sit-ins slowly grow bigger and bigger and moved out of stores to parks, theatres, and other public places. -
Freedom Rides (US)
Freedom Rides were trips made by civil rights activists around the United States where they would promote black rights. The first Freedom Ride left in 1961 with a plan to travel to New Orleans. The Freedom Rides experience much abuse and violence at each stop once people heard what they were promoting. The Public Saftey Commissioner for one of the Freedom Rides even gave the KKK five minutes to do what they wanted to the riders why he looked away. -
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 (AU)
The Commonwealth Electoral Act granted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the right to enroll and vote in Australian Elections. Enrolling was not compulsory. Queensland was the last state to grant Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders the right to vote, it took them three years to accept the new act. It wasn't until 1984 that voting became compulsory. -
March on Washington (US)
The Washington march held by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin but led by other major civil rights organizations of all colour. The march for 6 goals, some of them being full and fair employment, decent housing, and the right to vote for African Americans. The media greatly exposed the march and impacted the way their audiences saw the march. The march ended with the famous 'I had a Dream' speech made by Martin Luther King Jr. After the march civil rights leaders met with President Kennedy. -
Chester School Protests (US)
The Chester School Protests were protests for conditions at predominantly black schools in Chester. Many of these schools were overcrowded and hadn't been updated since 1910. One school only had two bathrooms for the 1,200 students at the school. The committee of freedom (CFFN) blocked the entries to the schools and prevented students and staff from entering. The education board finally agreed to fix conditions at the schools. -
Freedom Rides (AU)
In 1965 Freedom Rides started in Australia mirroring the Freedom Rides in the US. Students from the University of Sydney. The group was led by Charles Perkins who was the first Indigenous Australian to graduate tertiary education. The freedom ride traveled around New South Wales where they encountered protests, violence, and pickets. In 1967 Australia passed a referendum removing discriminatory sections in the constitution. -
Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (AU)
The Disability Discrimination Act prohibits discriminations against people with a disability in work, education, and public settings. Before the act was put in place only Tasmania and Northern Territory didn't have any anti-discrimination laws in place. In 2004 the act was updated and reflected on. They reviewed that there was still room for improvement particularly in work environments but overall the act had been working well.