Gandhi Saved India from Great Britain with love and truth

Gandhi

In the early 1600's, the British Empire took control of the Indian government and forced the Indians to conform to their new laws. Ancient rich traditions and religions were thrown out and made illegal by ruthless British generals eager to make India another England. Indians were no longer permitted to walk on the sidewalks and they were restricted to walk on the main roads. Also the Indians were forced to carry an identity card with them at all times. The native Indians were in great pain seeing their way of life trampled on by the British.

Many moons passed and no one in India successfully fought back against the oppressive British. This all changed when a small man, born in the ancient city of Porbandar in 1869, stood up for what he believed in. This man became known to the world as "Gandhi", the "Mahatma", or "Great Soul" of India.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a terribly shy lawyer who was very unsuccessful. However, all of this changed one fateful day when Gandhi was denied a seat on a stagecoach in South Africa. The racist driver had made him sit outside in the melting sun on a long trip to Pretoria, simply because he wasn't white. Until that day, Gandhi had been too shy to even speak in front of a judge. He was so disturbed by the unfairness of the British, he successfully won a lawsuit with the railroad company. From that point on, Gandhi became the number one spokesman for powerless non-whites all over the world.

After twenty years of aiding his fellow Indians in South Africa, Gandhi returned to India and picked up the fight against British oppression. But instead of encouraging native-born Indians to take up arms and force the British colonists out of their country, Gandhi created a policy of non-violent protest. "Nonviolence, " he said, "is a weapon for the brave." He believed that the way people behave is more important than what they achieve.

Gandhi was arrested many times by the British for his activities in South Africa and India. He believed it was honorable to go to jail for a good cause. Altogether, he spent seven years in prison for his political activities. More than once Gandhi used fasting to prove to others the importance of being nonviolent. After twenty years of non-violent protests, marches, and strikes, the Indians finally wore down British resistance.