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Since the 1960s rights for woman and African Americans have
  greatly changed.  Although blacks
had been freed from slavery in the 1860s they still faced social, economic and
  political differences during the 1960s. 
In 1954 the movement towards segregation began under the ruling of the
  Supreme Court.  Martin Luther King
was a prominent leader in bringing Civil Rights for the black people of the
United States.  There was also
Malcolm X who represented the black Muslims of the United States however, he
felt that violence was the only way to reach his goals. Kennedy and Johnson were the presidents who are associated with the greater move to equality.  The
movements for equality slowed down as more changes were made towards equality during the 1970s. Equality now exists in the United States.   The
current president of the United States is African American.  As for women they had been given the right to vote long before the 1960s but there were still social and economic inequalities.  Now days women have opportunities to earn what men do by educational opportunities and even the medical advancement of birth control. Countries such as
Israel, Great Britain and India have all had female leaders at some point in
time.  In the United States women
and men have equal opportunities. 
In the United States and in many areas of the world great changes have
been made in terms of human rights for different groups.



 
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The apartheid system in South Africa came into play in 1948.  The main goal of the apartheid was to keep a separation between the non-white and white people of South Africa.  It was the all-white National Party that imposed these laws.  The white
population of the country however, was only 15% but owned 87% of the land.  The African National Congress (ANC) was the most prominent resistance to the apartheid. They were led by Nelson Mandela who had
a major influence in South Africa throughout this time and the future. During the 1950s and through to the end
of the apartheid the UN also tried to put down the apartheid however, they did
not have much success.  In 1952 they condemned the apartheid system and continued to oppose it.  In 1962 they attempted to put economic sanctions on South Africa but this was unsuccessful because they did not have support from their countries who
wanted to trade with South Africa.  Then in 1980 the UN classified the apartheid system as a crime against humanity.  Overall the UN did not
have as great and influence on South Africa as the events coming from within the
country did.  From 1964 to 1990 the ANC leader Nelson Mandela was in prison. 
His cause however, was still building in strength. His followers held protests that did not end well such as the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960 and the Soweto Massacre 1976. This events however, helped lead to the end of the apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as President in 1994 where everyone was able to vote.



 
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Gandhi was the great leader in India’s movement for independence from Great Britain.  Before Gandhi
there had already been a slight shift away from the British following their shooting of unarmed protesters at Amritsar in 1919.  This was around the time when Gandhi came back to India from South Africa.  Gandhi was the leader of
the Indian Congress Party and he was a pacifist who believed in non-violence resistance.  Through his period of
influence his right hand man was Jawaharlal Nehru. 
Another belief of Gandhi’s was that the Muslims and Hindus could share an independent India.  In March, April 1930 Gandhi led the Salt March to protest the salt tax placed by the British. Gandhi is put in prison following this event, he actually went to prison many times during his lifetime.  The overall outcome of the Salt March was greater support for the independence movement of India across India and the around the world.  It was a very important step on India’s journey to Independence.  On
January 26, 1932 Gandhi declared independence for India. It was obviously not
achieved but he kept pushing through civil disobedience and fasting.  In 1947 the British step out of India.  It was decided that the country would be divided through a partition with the center for the Sikhs and Hindus while the East and West would be for the Muslims. As for Gandhi he was assassinated
following this partition by a fellow Hindu and Nehru would become the first Prime Minister of India and Jinnah would administer Pakistan (the Muslim
areas).    Gandhi’s non-violent yet very influential actions played huge roles in the securing of Independence for India.



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