Which event is closely associated with the struggle for civil rights in South Africa in the 1960s?

The Sharpeville Massacre is a pivotal event in the struggle for civil rights in South Africa during the 1960s. On March 21, 1960, a peaceful protest against the pass laws, which restricted the movement of black South Africans, was met with brutal force by the police. The incident resulted in the deaths of 69 individuals, most of whom were unarmed and had gathered to demonstrate against the oppressive pass laws. This tragic event brought international attention to the system of apartheid and significantly galvanized resistance within South Africa. It marked a turning point in the anti-apartheid movement, leading to increased activism and a shift towards more militant forms of resistance against the apartheid regime.

The other listed events, while important in their own right, do not carry the same immediate association with the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. The Defiance Campaign, initiated in 1952, laid the groundwork for later protests but occurred in the 1950s. The Freedom Charter was adopted in 1955 and serves as a key document in the anti-apartheid struggle, articulating the vision of a non-racial South Africa. The First Democratic Elections took place in 1994, when apartheid officially ended and all citizens could