Resistance to Apartheid: ANC and Mandela

Active learning helps students grasp the complexity of Apartheid resistance by engaging with multiple perspectives and tangible historical moments. Through role-play, debate, and collaborative analysis, students move beyond abstract ideas to understand how collective action and leadership shaped change in South Africa.

• Year 11
• Modern History
• 4 activities
• 20 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the effectiveness of different resistance strategies employed by the anti-Apartheid movement, such as the Defiance Campaign and the shift to armed struggle.
2. Evaluate the impact of Nelson Mandela's leadership and imprisonment on the global anti-Apartheid movement.
3. Explain the role of international pressure, including sanctions and boycotts, in the dismantling of Apartheid.
4. Compare the goals and methods of the African National Congress (ANC) with other anti-Apartheid organizations.
5. Synthesize information from primary and secondary sources to construct an argument about the key factors leading to the end of Apartheid.

Jigsaw

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Forms of Resistance

Divide class into expert groups on non-violent protests, boycotts, armed struggle, and international solidarity. Each group analyzes sources and creates a summary poster with evidence. Groups then reform to teach peers, followed by whole-class synthesis discussion.

Prepare & details

Analyze the various forms of resistance employed by the anti-Apartheid movement.

Facilitation Tip: For the Jigsaw: Forms of Resistance, assign each group a distinct campaign and require them to prepare a two-minute summary with one visual aid to present to their home groups.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Role Play

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Role-Play: Rivonia Trial

Assign roles as prosecutors, defense, Mandela, and witnesses. Groups prepare arguments using trial transcripts and Mandela's speech. Conduct mock trial with cross-examinations, then debrief on leadership themes and resistance justification.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the significance of Nelson Mandela's leadership and imprisonment.

Facilitation Tip: During the Rivonia Trial Role-Play, provide students with a legal framework handout to ground their arguments in historical context, not dramatic speculation.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Gallery Walk

⏱ 40 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: International Pressure

Students create posters on sanctions, cultural boycotts, and UN actions using primary sources. Pairs rotate through gallery, adding sticky notes with connections to ANC efforts. Conclude with pairs sharing insights on Apartheid's end.

Prepare & details

Explain how international pressure contributed to the eventual dismantling of Apartheid.

Facilitation Tip: Set a 5-minute timer for the Gallery Walk stations on international pressure to keep the energy focused and ensure all groups rotate through each exhibit.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Mandela's Significance

Pose question on Mandela's leadership impact. Students think individually for 2 minutes, discuss in pairs for 5 minutes citing evidence, then share with class. Teacher charts responses to evaluate consensus.

Prepare & details

Analyze the various forms of resistance employed by the anti-Apartheid movement.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share on Mandela’s significance, require pairs to cite two specific examples from Mandela’s actions or speeches before sharing with the class.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teachers often start with primary sources to humanize resistance efforts, then layer in secondary analysis to build historical context. Avoid framing Mandela as the sole hero of Apartheid’s end; instead, emphasize the ANC’s organizational resilience and the role of ordinary people. Research shows students retain more when they experience moral dilemmas through role-play, as it builds empathy and critical analysis simultaneously.

What to Expect

Successful learning shows when students can explain the evolution of ANC strategies, connect specific events to broader themes, and articulate Mandela’s symbolic role without oversimplifying his contributions. Evidence of critical thinking includes debating justifications for armed struggle and recognizing international influences.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share: Mandela's Significance, watch for students attributing Apartheid’s end solely to Mandela.

What to Teach Instead

Use the paired discussion to ask, 'What did the ANC as an organization accomplish that Mandela alone could not?' Have pairs compile a shared list of collective actions from the unit to present.

Common Misconception

During the Jigsaw: Forms of Resistance, watch for students assuming armed struggle began with Mandela.

What to Teach Instead

In their group summaries, require them to place the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre on a timeline and explain how it prompted Umkhonto we Sizwe’s formation. Circulate to ask, 'What evidence shows non-violent resistance came first?'.

Common Misconception

During the Rivonia Trial Role-Play, watch for students simplifying the trial as a clear-cut guilty verdict.

What to Teach Instead

Provide the trial transcripts and ask students to identify two legal or moral arguments used by the defense and prosecution. After the role-play, facilitate a debrief: 'How did the trial’s outcome reflect the government’s goals beyond punishment?'

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Jigsaw: Forms of Resistance, pose the question: 'Was armed struggle a necessary and justified tactic for the ANC after peaceful protests were met with violence?' Facilitate a debate where students must cite evidence from the period to support their arguments, considering the Sharpeville Massacre and the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Exit Ticket

After the Gallery Walk: International Pressure, ask students to write on an index card: 'One specific action taken by the international community against Apartheid was _____. This action was significant because _____.' Collect and review responses to gauge understanding of international pressure.

Quick Check

During the Think-Pair-Share: Mandela's Significance, present students with a short primary source quote from either Nelson Mandela or an anti-Apartheid activist. Ask them to identify the main message of the quote and connect it to a specific resistance strategy discussed in class.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to draft a newspaper editorial from 1964 arguing for or against the ANC’s shift to armed struggle, using evidence from class materials.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide sentence stems like 'The Defiance Campaign mattered because...' to support their participation in jigsaw discussions.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research and present on one international figure or organization (e.g., Oliver Tambo, Bishop Desmond Tutu) who influenced Apartheid’s dismantling, connecting their work to the Gallery Walk themes.

Key Vocabulary

Apartheid	A system of institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
African National Congress (ANC)	A political party in South Africa founded in 1912, which played a leading role in the struggle against Apartheid.
Sharpeville Massacre	A 1960 event where South African police opened fire on unarmed protestors, killing 69 people and leading to a ban on the ANC.
Rivonia Trial	A trial in 1963-1964 where Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders were prosecuted for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Umkhonto we Sizwe	The armed wing of the ANC, formed in 1961, which engaged in acts of sabotage against government infrastructure.