Framing question: How was Gandhi and his civil rights movement promoters of change in India during the 1900’s.
The 1900’s was a time for change all around the world. Even the biggest and most powerful countries during the time were changing. This included Britain and its change in rule over India as Indians decided they wanted to govern themselves. So the question to be answered is how was gandhi and his civil rights movement promoters of change in India during the 1900’s. In order to understand why gandhi and his followers decided to go against Britain to gain their independence there are some thing …show more content…
Gandhi's father was the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar; his deeply religious mother was a devoted practitioner of Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindu god Vishnu), influenced by Jainism, an ascetic religion governed by tenets of self-discipline and nonviolence. Because of this Gandhi became the person we all know him to be.(History.com staff) Gandhi was disgusted by the harsh treatment of people he saw as an Indian immigrant in South Africa. When a European magistrate in Durban asked him to take off his turban, he refused and left the courtroom. On a trip to Pretoria by train, he was thrown out of an expensive railway compartment and beaten up by a white stagecoach driver after refusing to give up his seat for a European passenger who didn't have a place to sit. That train journey gave Gandhi all the incentive he needed to do something about this harsh treatment , and he soon began developing and teaching the concept of satyagraha (“truth and firmness”), or passive resistance, as a way of non-cooperation with authorities. (History.com Staff) As part of his nonviolent uncooperative campaign for self rule, Gandhi stressed the importance of economic independence for India. He particularly stressed the manufacturing of khaddar, or self spun cloth, in order to boycott British goods in India. Gandhi’s persuasiveness and embrace of an self disciplined lifestyle based on prayer, fasting and …show more content…
This movement conducted Civil disobedience which was taught by Gandhi. Now there are several events that ultimately led to India becoming independent. The first is India’s boycott of British goods in 1905. Gandhi exhorted Indian men and women, rich or poor, to spend time each day spinning homespun cloth in support of the independence movement. This movement had some success but Gandhi took pride in it because it taught the people of India to challenge and defy the British. (Whipps, Heather) The Second event is the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement. This movement included one of the biggest events of India’s push for independence the Salt March. The Salt March had people all over the country making salt illegally, and were getting sent to jail by the British officers in India . On April 6th 1930 Gandhi marched 241 miles on foot and arrived at village of Dandi, where he gathered salt. Gandhi had lead many to disobey British law. But he never used violence to obtain freedom. (Whipps, Heather) The result of The Salt March was an embarrassment to Britain, which took pride in its traditions of democratic negotiations. But in India, the officials were imprisoning thousands of Indians who just wanted basic freedoms and a better way of living. (Whipps, Heather)