EARLY LIFEMohandas Gandhi was born in India into a large Hindu family on October 2, 1869. Many Hindus believe in nonviolence and caring for and respecting others. His parents taught him about these values.Gandhi went to school in London and became a lawyer. When he came back to India, he had a hard time finding work. He ended up taking a job in South Africa.SOUTH AFRICAThe British ruled both India and South Africa at that time. In South Africa, people who were not white were treated poorly. Even though Gandhi was a lawyer, he was treated poorly, too. He thought this was unfair and felt he had to do something.Gandhi stayed in South Africa to help the Indians in that country. His work brought attention to him, and he became a leader among the Indian people. Gandhi led many nonviolent protests. He asked Indians not to follow the unfair laws and to take the punishments. Many Indians were hurt or put in jail, including Gandhi. People around the world heard about the punishments and were shocked.Gandhi stayed in South Africa for twenty years. He worked for better treatments of Indians. During this time, he stopped wearing western clothes. Instead, he wore homemade robes and sandals. A LEADER IN INDIAWhen Gandhi returned to India, he worked to free the country from British rule. He held protests against the British. In one protest, he asked people to stay home from work and school. Some protesters were violent, however, so Gandhi ended the protest.Some people held their own protests. At one peaceful protest, many people were hurt or killed when British soldiers shot at them. Gandhi was very sad about the shootings. He started another nonviolent protest. He asked Indians to stop buying British goods or working for the British any way. Many Indians did as Gandhi asked, but a few were violent. The British blamed Gandhi for the violence and put him in prison for two years. THE SALT MARCHIn India, only British could gather and sell salt. The government also place a large tax on any salt sold. Gandhi thought it was unfair for Indians to pay the British for the salt from the Indian lands. Gandhi and some followers began a 240-mile (386 km) walk across India to the sea. Along the way, Gandhi spoke to many people. When he reached the coast, thousands of Indians were following him.Gandhi went to the shore and picked up some salt from the ground. His followers did the same. Gandhi was arrested, along with more than 60,000 others.CHANGE BEGINSThe arrests and treatments of Indians caused anger around the world. Finally, British and Indian leaders began to talk about the British leaving India.Hindus and Muslims had often been in conflict in India. Gandhi believed that the two religions could live in peace. Many Muslims wanted their own country, however. When the British rule of India ended, the country was split into two countries. Gandhi was very sad about the split. Many Muslims formed the new country of Pakistan. Many people moved from one country to another. There was much fighting. Gandhi was able to bring peace to some places. However, even Gandhi could not stop all the fighting.DEATH AND LEGACYWhen Gandhi was on his way to a prayer meeting, a man in the crowd shot him three times. Gandhi’s death saddened people everywhere. However, this small man, who Indians called Mahatma, or “Great Soul,” continued to change the world. He inspired such great leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. He will continue to inspire people for many years to come.
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