In the late-1960s, as it had been for many years before, South Africa was controlled by its white citizens, Dutch settlers who colonized the country and displaced the indigenous black people. People of color were not allowed the same rights as these whites under the policies of apartheid. Apartheid stipulated that races be strictly segregated so that the white minority (only about 14% of the population) could maintain its hold on power. People of color did not have access to the same kinds of education and social services afforded the whites, and their movements within the country were strictly limited—while white children had to attend school from ages seven to sixteen, compulsory education for African children was limited to ages seven to eleven. Colored and black people were forced to live in specifically designated "homelands," "townships," and "national states" that were often overcrowded and without...