This Lesson Explores One Man's Campaign To Overcome Racism and Injustice

This lesson explores one man’s campaign to
overcome racism and injustice.

‘An for an
makes the whole world blind.’
Mohandas Gandhi
Mohandas Gandhi was born in the state
of Gujarat, India in 1869.
At the age of
thirteen Mohandas
was married to
Kasturba.
The marriage had

been arranged for him
by his family.
They had four sons.

When he was 18 Gandhi came to London
to train as a barrister.
He tried behaving like an Englishman

and took up ballroom dancing. We know
that he took a dislike to his landlady’s
boiled cabbage!
In these days he got ‘stage fright’ when

speaking in court.
He returned to
India in 1891, then
accepted a job at
an Indian law firm
in South Africa.
His experience of racism in South Africa
proved to be a turning point in his life.
He was refused admission to hotels, beaten up

when he refused to give up his seat to a white
man on a stage coach …..
…and thrown off a train when he refused to

move to a third class compartment, after he
had paid for a first class ticket.
When he was about to
return to India, he heard
that a law was going
to be passed to prevent
Indian people from voting.
He decided to draw attention to this

injustice and became an activist.
However, Gandhi said:
‘There are many causes that I am

prepared to die for, but no causes that
I am prepared to kill for.’
He developed a new non-violent way to

make things right, by getting lots of
people to disobey unfair laws, and to be
unco-operative with rulers who were
treating them badly.
Over the next seven years Gandhi led a
non-violent campaign of resistance to
laws which were unfair to ‘coloured’
people.
During this time thousands of Indians,
including Gandhi, were flogged or jailed,
and many were shot for striking or
burning their registration cards.
Eventually the government was forced
to seek a compromise with Gandhi, and
when he left South Africa, conditions
for Indian people had greatly improved.
In 1915, back in
India, Gandhi set
up an ‘ashram’ - a
self-sufficient
community, where
he ate a simple
diet, and lived like
the poorest
villagers.
He spun his own yarn and made his own
cloth. He encouraged others to do the
same, instead of buying imported British
material.
At this time Indian villagers were poorly
paid, and many were dying of famine.
In 1918 Gandhi began a campaign to get

them to stand up for themselves against
the British who were ruling India.
It was at this time that
Gandhi became known as
Mahatma,
which means ‘Great Soul’.
The British became
worried about
keeping control.
Soldiers were
ordered to prevent
people from
gathering together
for meetings.
Nevertheless, in 1919 ten thousand unarmed
people attended a protest meeting in
Amritsar.
Without warning, British soldiers fired on the

crowd, killing nearly 400 people, and wounding
over one thousand.
People were very shocked by this atrocity,

and many more joined Gandhi’s campaign.
Meanwhile the
British rulers
continued to collect
heavy taxes from the
people, which kept
them in poverty.
In 1930 Gandhi led a 248 mile march to
the sea, as a protest against a tax on salt.
Thousands joined him in making salt of
their own.
Over 60,000
people were
arrested.
However, the British government was
forced to negotiate with Gandhi, and
they agreed to release political
prisoners if he stopped his campaign of
non-co-operation.
In 1933 Gandhi went
on a fast for 21 days
to draw attention to
the treatment of
the very poorest
people in India, who
he called ‘The
Children of God’.
During the second World War, Gandhi
and his followers made it clear that
they wouldn’t support Britain unless
India was granted independence.
In 1942 Gandhi was arrested by the

British, and imprisoned for two years.
By 1947 Gandhi’s campaign had weakened
the British government’s hold on the
country, but with independence looming,
killings and riots raged between Hindus
and Muslims who hoped to take control of
the new Indian government.
It was decided to divide India into two
separate countries - India and Pakistan.
Gandhi was strongly opposed to this
idea, but was forced to agree because
of the threat of civil war.
The violence continued.
Gandhi's appeals for calm
were ignored, so he
began another fast.
Only when the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim

leaders promised to renounce violence
did he agree to take a sip of orange
juice.
A few days later, on January 30th 1948
Gandhi was shot by a Hindu fanatic on
his way to a prayer meeting in Delhi.
His ashes were dipped in all the major
rivers of the world before being
enshrined in the Mahatma Gandhi World
Peace Memorial.
In India Gandhi is often called ‘The
Father of the Nation.’
Gandhi’s birthday,
October 2nd, is a
public holiday in India.
‘Be the Change you want to
see in the World!’
Mohandas Gandhi
Glossary
• negotiate – discuss, co-operate
• fast – stop eating
• co-operation – teamwork, mutual
support
• independence – self-government
• civil war – a conflict between two groups
within the same country
• revenge -getting your own back

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This Lesson Explores One Man's Campaign To Overcome Racism and Injustice

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This lesson explores one man’s campaign to

overcome racism and injustice.

The marriage had

They had four sons.

He tried behaving like an Englishman

In these days he got ‘stage fright’ when

He was refused admission to hotels, beaten up

…and thrown off a train when he refused to

He decided to draw attention to this

‘There are many causes that I am

He developed a new non-violent way to

In 1918 Gandhi began a campaign to get

Without warning, British soldiers fired on the

People were very shocked by this atrocity,

In 1942 Gandhi was arrested by the

Only when the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim

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