Question

why might a historian conclude that the meeting that produced the freedom charter was held in secret? the african national congress had been outlawed, so the meeting would have been illegal. the charter copied words directly from other constitutions, which would be considered plagiarism. the charters call for the end of apartheid would have been threatening to the south african government. the african national congress was calling for reconciliation with whites, which would have angered many black south africans.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The ANC being outlawed would make the meeting illegal, but the main reason for secrecy was more about the threat to the government from the charter's content (ending apartheid) rather than just legality.
• Option 2: The Freedom Charter did not plagiarize; it was a unique document for South Africa's context, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The Freedom Charter called for the end of apartheid, which was a direct threat to the South African government (which upheld apartheid). Holding the meeting in secret would protect participants from government repression. This is a valid reason.
• Option 4: The ANC's call for reconciliation was not a reason to hold the meeting in secret; in fact, the fight against apartheid was a unifying cause for black South Africans. This is incorrect.

Answer:

C. The charter's call for the end of apartheid would have been threatening to the South African government.