Study questions for the film and website

In addition to answering these questions, you might also want to try to complete the crossword puzzle.

The following questions can be used as talking points for class discussion or as written assignments.

1. What are the similarities between the United States and South Africa ?

2. What are the differences between the United States and South Africa ?

3. What was America’s relationship with South Africa in 1966 ?

4. Who was Chief Albert Luthuli ? What was Dr. Martin Luther King’s connection to him ?

5. What was the significance of Senator Kennedy’s meeting with Chief Luthuli and his talking about the meeting during his visit to Soweto ?

6. Why was Senator Kennedy’s visit to South Africa important to liberal whites in South Africa ?

7. What impact did the visit possibly have on Afrikaners ?

8. What was the significance of Robert Kennedy saying in his speech in Durban “Is all that we stand for anti-Communism ?”

9. Recordings of Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech were smuggled into South Africa and listened to by a number of black and white opponents of Apartheid. The speech, and the American Civil Rights Movement in general, had an impact in South Africa. Your assignment:

It is the 1970’s in South Africa and you have been given the task of ‘rewriting’ Dr. King’s speech using only South African references i.e. Take all the American names and places mentioned in Dr. King’s speech and give them South African names and references. Your choices should be more than just names from a map - they should indicate an understanding of South African history, geography and politics.

[Note: You can download a copy of Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream” speech by clicking on the speeches link in the Relevant American speeches section of the website.]

Additional questions/assignments for High School students:

1. Find a painting a photograph, a book or a song from South Africa in the 1960’s.

2. Go through all of Senator Kennedy’s South African speeches and his LOOK Magazinearticle- identify all the Americans or references to an American historical event.

Choose three. Write a short paragraph which states:

  1. the name of the person or event
  2. who or what they were (one sentence)
  3. the context of Senator Kennedy’s citation of them in his speeches or article.

3. Go through all of Senator Kennedy’s South African speeches and his LOOK Magazine article- identify all the South Africans or references to a South African historical event.

Choose three. Write a short paragraph which states:

a. the name of the person or event

  1. who they were (one sentence)

c. the context of Senator Kennedy’s citation of them in his speeches or article.

4. Go through all of Senator Kennedy’s South African speeches and his LOOK Magazine article- identify all the international people (not Americans or South Africans)or references to an international historical event.

Choose three. Write a short paragraph which states:

  1. the name of the person or event
  2. who they were (one sentence)
  3. the context of Senator Kennedy’s citation of them in his speeches or article.

When you are finished answering these questions please save it as a Word document and send as an e-mail attachment to your own teacher or professor and .

Any ideas and suggestions for other questions and projects for students are welcome.