The Freedom Charter is a unique document in that for the first time ever, the people were actively involved in formulating their own vision of an alternative society. The existing order of State oppression and
exploitation which was prevalent in the 1950's (and earlier) was totally rejected.
The notion of a Charter was first mooted at the annual Congress of the African National Congress in August 1953. Prof Z K Mathews formally suggested convening a Congress of the People (C.O.P.) to draw up the Freedom Charter. The idea was adopted by the allies of the ANC, the South African Indian Congress, the South African Coloured People's Organisation and the South African Congress of Democrats.
The Congress of the People was not a single event but a series of campaigns and rallies, huge and small, held in houses, flats, factories, kraals, on farms and in the open.
The National Action Council enlisted volunteers to publicise the C.O.P, educate the people, note their grievances and embark on a "million signatures campaign".
Thus when the people met on the 25th and 26th June 1955, the Congress of the People that was convened in Kliptown, near Johannesburg, represented a crucial historical moment in establishing a new order based on the will of the people. It brought together 2,844 delegates from all over the country. The Freedom Charter proclaims that ''South Africa belongs to all who live in it" and that "all shall be equal before the law". It pledged to continue the struggle until a new democratic order was put into place.
Hence, the Charter is a significant document because it embodies the hopes and aspirations of the black people.
The Charter was subsequently endorsed by the C.O.P.