Mohandas K. Gandhi

Martin Luther King Jr. was known for his black equal rights movements and peaceful resistance, but these ideas were inspired by another man, his name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Mohandas was a political figure vital to India’s independence. Mohandas Gandhi was born on October 2 1869 in Porbandor, India. He believed in equal rights and advocated peace. Through peaceful demonstrations Gandhi gained equal rights for Indians and eventually their independence from Britain. Gandhi’s dedication to peace and equality of his people is what makes him a hero.

Young Gandhi as law student (www.ivu.org/history/gandhi/gandhi-1891.jpg)

Gandhi was a hero for who he was and for his achievements in life. Mohandas Gandhi was born on October 2 1869 in Porbandor India. Gandhi was married to his wife Kasturbai at the age of thirteen. In April 1888 after studying law in England he set sail for South Africa. After getting thrown off a train and treated like an untouchable, Gandhi started a peaceful kind of social rights movements known as a Ahimsa. Gandhi managed to gain India’s independence and equality in 1947. Gandhi was a hero throughout his whole life.

Gandhi had finally made new goals which he chose to peruse peacefully. After studying in law school Gandhi was going law practice in Bombay and experienced the prejudice firsthand. “A policeman threw Gandhi and his luggage off the train, he sat shivering through the endless night, asking himself one question: Shall I fight for my rights or go back to India? By dawn he had made his decision. He would fight for his rights and the rights of all people.” (Progress.org). Gandhi had reached his decision to fight for his rights and enraged by this he perused this will to fight. Gandhi managed his first real massed effective peaceful revolt. Gandhi outraged by these unfair laws decided to do something about it. “Gandhi organized a “Great March” of 2,000 Indians from Natal into the Transvaal. Indians were bound by law to present registration papers at the point of entry, The march was meant to overcrowd prisons and increase pressure on the government to repeal the law. This situation deteriorated into such harsh conditions for the Indians that even members of the British government began to support Gandhi’s movement.” (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. Vol. 3. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. p253-255.) Gandhi’s march was so effective that the British started to side with Gandhi’s efforts to repeal the law unfair for Indians and the British soon gave in. Gandhi was a hero as he caused himself self suffering for the greater good of his people.

Gandhi Stands

Gandhi was able to achieve much during his lifetime through peace and love. Gandhi was communicating with Indians on how to cripple the British control so they will have to repeal unjust laws. Gandhi stood up to British oppression wherever it occurred. “The repressive Rowlatt Acts of 1919 (a set of laws that allowed the government to try people accused of political crimes without a jury) caused Gandhi to call a general hartal, (when workers refuse to work in order to obtain rights from their employers), throughout the country. Following the Amritsar Massacre of some four hundred Indians, Gandhi responded by not cooperating with British courts, stores, and schools. The government agreed to make reforms. Gandhi began urging Indians to make their own clothing rather than buy British goods. .”( UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Laura B. Tyle. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2003. p758-761.) Gandhi has caused the British to repeal multiple laws with this ideal of peace has the British unable to legally put down these revolts with force causing them to be rendered helpless. Gandhi continued to cripple British control on unfair laws and taxation. “1930 that he launched another all-India struggle. The issue he chose this time was the British monopoly of the salt trade and the tax on salt. Collecting the salt left by the sea was illegal, as was selling or buying untaxed salt. Gandhi asked Indians on the coast to scoop up their own salt, and Indians elsewhere to buy or sell contraband salt. Since the salt tax hurt every Indian, and the poorest the most, a satyagraha against it was an issue on which all united: Hindus and Muslims, caste Hindus, and untouchables.”( Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Ed. John Hartwell Moore. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. p4-9) Gandhi was able to stop the British’s tax on salt by communicating with his followers to tell people to only use illegal Indian salt and the British couldn’t arrest all the people using Indian salt eventually getting the bill repealed. Gandhi managed to achieve much in his years India but his biggest achievement was gaining India’s independence.

Gandhi and his followers (photos.codlib.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gd4935442mahatma-gandhi-mohan-8400.jpg)

Gandhi’s campaign for civil rights and India's independence led him to gaining it making him a hero. Gandhi would even fight against his own followers if they took to violence “Aggrieved, Gandhi went to Bengal, saying, "I am not going to leave Bengal until the last embers of trouble are stamped out," Gandhi, now 77, warned that he would fast to death unless Biharis reformed. He went to Noakhali, a heavily Moslem city in Bengal, where he said "Do or die" would be put to the test. Either Hindus and Moslems would learn to live together or he would die in the attempt. The situation there calmed, but rioting continued elsewhere.” (Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 6. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2004. p201-204.) Gandhi was a old man now and he was still fighting for India’s rights and would not have violence to gain it and threatened to fast to death because he didn’t want anyone to be harmed in his strikes and finally he managed to restore peace making him a leader to follow by example. Gandhi was finally able to make the British quit India “Gandhi asked the INC, in August 1942, to issue a call to the British to quit India. There was a nationwide eruption, which in some places took a violent form. It was the greatest defiance the British had faced in India. It was eventually suppressed, and Gandhi and all INC leaders and tens of thousands of others were quickly put behind bars, yet two outcomes now became certain: India would be free after the war, and the INC would inherit the power left by the departing British.”( Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Ed. John Hartwell Moore. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. p4-9.) Gandhi finally managed to free India with his thousands of followers. The Indian independence act 1947 made India independent and Pakistan independent and the INC took control of India. Sadly Gandhi did not live long enough to see India as its own country for long. Gandhi was in New Delhi at a prayer meeting but was shot by a Muslim extremist on January 30 1948. Gandhi was able to achieve so much in his life and have helped so many groups of people and with his peaceful ideals and equality even being called by one as being “The Greatest man in our world today”. Gandhi has done much in his life to help people and that is why I think Gandhi should be revered as a hero.