Dutch settlers first formed a colony at Cape Town in the 1700s. The British took control of South Africa from the Dutch in 1814. In 1948, the white leaders created a system of laws called apartheid. This means "apartness." Apartheid took away the rights and freedoms of blacks in South Africa. They were forced to live in townships. Townships are crowded areas for blacks in or near cities.

Nelson Mandela was a black lawyer who became leader in the fight against apartheid. The government put him in prison to stop his protests. Frederik Willem de Klerk became president of South Africa in 1989. He released Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990. Mandela had been imprisoned for 27 years. Mandela, de Klerk, and other leaders called for national elections to be held in 1994. It was the first time all South Africans had the right to vote. Nelson Mandela was elected president. A Constitution for South Africa was signed into law on December 10, 1996. Like the United States Constitution, the South African Constitution also has a Bill of Rights that protects the rights of all people in the country.