Imagine a shy boy who as a teenager was so timid that he slept with the lights on. This young boy would grow up to be one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. Mahatma Gandhi was a man who believed strongly in non-violence. He led marches in multiple countries. Starting in South Africa and later back in his home country of India.
Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. His father, Karamchand, was a chief minister and his mother, Putlibai, was illiterate but had strong religious views which impacted Gandhi. Growing up Mahatma wanted to be a doctor but his parents wanted him to also become a government minister. His father died in 1885 and a few years later Gandhi left for London where he would study law. He was in London for 3 years, where he studied law as well as other religions that were taught around the world. In 1891, he returned to India to find that his mother had passed only a few weeks before. He then attempted to find a job involving law in India but had no luck. Eventually, he was offered a one-year contract by an Indian firm that sent him to their office in South Africa.
According to History.com, “Gandhi was appalled by the discrimination he experienced as an Indian immigrant in South Africa.” A few days after he had arrived he was on a train heading to a different city when a white man told him he had to move from the first-class part of the train to the back even though Gandhi had a first-class ticket. Gandhi was kicked off the train and according to the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History,” This was a transforming event in Gandhi’s life.” From then on, he would work towards abolishing color discrimination and helping dissolve other civil issues (Biography).
Gandhi left for India after his yearlong contract was over but soon returned opening his own successful legal practice. In 1906 Gandhi was informed of new restrictions the South African Government was putting out that involved the rights of Indians and the refusal of recognizing Hindu marriages. He then orchestrated his first big protest which he called “Satyagraha” which means truth and firmness. Years and many imprisonments later the government compromised with Gandhi and his supporters.
A few years later in 1919 India was still under control of the British. Recently the British had gone against Gandhi’s views, so he created another Satyagraha campaign. This campaign once again was supposed to be peaceful, but it turned violent when British troops fired into the peaceful protesters and killed nearly 400 of them. Gandhi was now no longer an ally to the British, he returned all of his medals from his service in South Africa. He then fought against the British government, telling people to no longer go to government schools, purchase British goods or pay taxes. He even used a spinning wheel to create clothes for him and other supporters. In 1922, he was arrested for sedition and was incarcerated until 1924. He then decided to stay away from active politics until almost a decade later.
Gandhi returned to protest against Britain’s Salt Acts. This act didn’t allow Indians to obtain salt in any way, which was a big deal considering that is a major part of their diet. Also, it included a heavy tax that affected the poor in the country. Gandhi hosted another Satyagraha march that involved walking 240 miles to the Arabian Sea. Gandhi’s journey took him 24 days and when he got there he went against the law by evaporating sea water to leave only salt. This journey became known across the world as The Salt March. This act sparked similar protest from other people supporting Gandhi. Soon over 60,000 Indians were jailed for breaking the Salt Acts, including Gandhi. While Gandhi was in prison the protests grew bigger and he was awarded Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year.” Gandhi was released in 1931 and soon an agreement was made between him, and the British government that would end the Salt Satyagraha as well as release thousands of political prisoners. Gandhi soon became the only representative of the Indian National Congress.