Divided society
From the 1940s to the 1990s, South Africa was ruled by a system
called apartheid. Blacks and whites lived separate lives. The whites
were the ruling class and generally lived in comfort while black
people lived in poverty.
In Northern Ireland for most of the twentieth century, Protestants
were the ruling class and Catholics were generally worse off, with
less political power and a lower standard of living.
SlaveryIn the USA, white landowners used black slaves to work their farms until the 1860s. Even after slavery was abolished black people often
continued to work on the farms in the southern states, in bad conditions, for poor wages, as servants or manual labourers.
Even now, black communities in the USA are often worse off than white communities. The story of Noughts & Crosses is set at a time when people can still remember noughts being slaves.