History of South Africa South Africa has great varieties of ethnic origins; Unfortunately for them, none of them were given a chance to shine due to the cloud of racism that overshadowed their story. Like the United States, South African countries are built for the success of whites before any other ethnicity. This can be found in both politics and the economy of the country. This racism has existed for over 300 years. Around the 1940s South Africans coined a policy for this racism, “apartheid”. In English apartheid can be translated as “Apart-hood”. (2) This will be covered in more detail later. Like the United States, South Africa has had to deal with centuries of racism, the problem is that South African racism doesn't seem to be dying out as quickly as other countries in the same situation. in South Africa it began in the mid-1600s, when the Dutch East India Company formed a Cape Colony. (3) It wasn't long before settlers needed workers to help farm their rapidly expanding settlement. Then, like many countries of their time, they followed the path of slavery. Naturally the best candidates for this position were originally from South Africa. Slaves were not a necessity, but they were very convenient for the newly settled Dutch (2). The Dutch continued to rule South Africa until the English took over in the 18th century. Fast forward to the 20th century, where racism is more relevant than ever and new segregation laws were passed in 1910. These 1910 laws “expanded racial segregation” (2). Much of the new law stipulated that whites could now take over lands owned by black farmers. Furthermore, during this time government… half of paper… “dignity” required adherence to a code of social and gender behavior appropriate for a dominant race. There was a moral basis for the antagonism toward blacks: “It is a deeply rooted disposition of Nature for racial integrity. It is the voice of evolutionary experience speaking in the United States. Likewise, John L. Weston of Brandfort, wrote approvingly of vigilante justice in the American South. He wrote of Southern whites he had known who were very intelligent, respectable, understanding, and reasonable, but who went mad when a case of "Black Peril" (Plaatje, 1982) occurred within their reach. This, he argued, was a healthy and virtuous reaction; it is the very capacity of the white man's mind for good that causes this uncontrollable indignation." He predicted that lynching law will be introduced sooner or later , as has happened in the United States, unless heroic steps are taken without too much delay..