Indian+Independence+Movement+-+Gandhi+and+the++Salt+March

media type="custom" key="2965800"Ryan Scherr ryanscherr shortstuff404@yahoo.com Kris Roussey: snoogins8386@hotmail.com

Chris, im just gettin a bunch of info on our page, and then for the powerpoint we can paraphrase from what we have here. i also have some pictures that could possibly go into the powerpoint. we also need a book source but i couldnt find one today. if u have any problems lemmee know or start a new discussion

Ryan, this is some solid information and pictures here. I will find a couple of book references for us to use from the library near my house. over the Thanksgiving break i will post information from the books, along with the reference information for the books.

great, sounds like a plan. ill also try to find some additional info over break. dont forget to use citationmachine.com, it really helps 4 citing also, i think we r supposed to paraphrase stuff on this page, so im gonna start today and do more on the break. the stuff in blue is my paraphrasing. i dont think we have to do the whole page, just some of it.

ok, cool. Everythig I started to paraphrased is in red font.

thanks for getting the book citations

**The Document/Powerpoint is saved under Ghandi and the Salt Ma**

http://www.thenagain.info/Webchron/India/SaltMarch.html

In 1930, Gandhi preotested the British Salt Tax, which made it illegal to produce or sell salt. The tax gave British complete dominance in that industry. Salt was extremely important, so India was entirely affected. Workers weren't allowed to find salt, so they had to buy it, which they could barely afford. Then Gandhi sent a warning letter to Viceory of cicil disobedience, but Viceory wouldn't listen, and wouldn't change the British policy. As promised, Gandhi, along with 78 males, started their long journey, the Salt March. When they reached the coast, they picked up all the salt they could find. Lter, Gandhi was thrown into jail, with tons of angry protestors outside. Gandhi's movement lead to a series of protests, which eventually enabled India their freedom.

In 1930 in order to help free India from British control, Mahatma Gandhi proposed a non-violent march protesting the British Salt Tax, continuing Gandhi's pleas for civil disobedience. The Salt Tax essentially made it illegal to sell or produce salt, allowing a complete British monopoly. Since salt is necessary in everyone's daily diet, everyone in India was affected. The Salt Tax made it illegal for workers to freely collect their own salt from the coasts of India, making them buy salt they couldn't really afford. Before embarking on the 240-mile journey from Sabarmati to Dandi, Gandhi sent a letter to the Viceroy himself, forewarning their plans of civil disobedience. To deliver this letter, Gandhi chose an Englishman who believed in the Indian movement in efforts to promote non-violence. The Viceroy wrote back, explaining that the British would not change their policy: "[Gandhi was] contemplating a course of action which is clearly bound to involve violation of the law and danger to the public peace." [2]  As promised, on March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 male satyagrahis (activists of truth and resolution) started their 23-day-long journey. Women weren't allowed to march because Gandhi felt women wouldn't provoke law enforcers like their male counterparts, making the officers react violently to non-violence. Along the march, the satyagrahis listened to Gandhi's favorite bhajan sung by Pandit Paluskar, a Hindustani vocalist; the roads were watered and softened, and fresh vegetation was thrown along the path. Gandhi spoke to each village they passed, and more and more men joined the march.  On April 5, 1930 Gandhi and his satyagrahis reached the coast. After prayers were offered, Gandhi spoke to the large crowd. He picked up a tiny lump of salt, breaking the law. Within moments, the satyagrahis followed Gandhi's passive defiance, picking up salt everywhere along the coast. A month later, Gandhi was arrested and thrown into prison, already full with fellow protestors  The Salt March started a series of protests, closing many British shops and British mills. A march to Dharshana resulted in horrible violence. The non-violent satyagrahis did not defend themselves against the clubs of policemen, and many were killed instantly. The world embraced the satyagrahis and their non-violence, and eventually enabled India to gain their freedom from Britain.

http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Dandi.html After proclaiming the Declaration of Independence of India on January 26, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi came to an impasse in his political career focused on freeing India from British rule. A new anti-government campaign was imperative for achieving the secularization of India for its people; it remained unclear, however, to Gandhi what form was most appropriate for this campaign to take (Sheean 152; 156-7). During the period that followed in which he could find "no light at the end of the tunnel,"; it became apparent to Gandhi that non-violent civil disobedience would form the basis for any ensuing protest (Sheean 152; 156-7).
 * The Salt Tax**

Beginning in February 1930, Gandhi's thoughts swayed towards the British salt tax, one of many economic improprieties used to generate revenue to support British rule, as the focal point of non-violent political protest (Ashe 301). The British monopoly on the salt tax in India dictated that the sale or production of salt by anyone but the British government was a criminal offense punishable by law (Ashe 301). Moreso than in more temperate climates, salt was invaluable to the people of India, many of whom were agricultural laborers and required the mineral for metabolism in an environment of immense heat and humidity where sweating was profuse. Occurring throughout low-lying coastal zones of India, salt was readily accessible to laborers who were instead forced to pay money for a mineral which they could easily collect themselves for free (Jack 235). Moreover, Gandhi's choice met the important criterion of appealing across regional, class, and ethnic boundaries. Everyone needed salt, and the British taxes on it had an impact on all of India.

Led by an "inner voice" during this period of strategical uncertainty, Gandhi used the British Government's monopoly of the salt tax as a catalyst for a major "Satyagraha" campaign (Copley 46-8). One of Gandhi's principal concepts, "satyagraha" goes beyond mere "passive resistance"; by adding the Sanskrit word "Agraha" (resolution) to "Satya" (Truth). For him, it was crucial that Satyagrahis found strength in their non-violent methods: Truth (Satya) implies Love, and Firmness (Agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force ... that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or Non-violence.... [If] we are Satyagrahis and offer Satyagraha, beleveing ourselves to be strong ... we grow stronger and stronger everyday. With our increase in strngth, our Stayagraha too becomes more effective, and we would never be casting about for an opportunity to give it up. (Gandhi 87) Choosing the salt tax as an injustice to the people of India was considered an ingenious choice by critic Judith Brown (1977) because every peasant and every aristocrat understood the necessity of salt in everyday life (Copley 46-8). It was also a good choice because it did not alienate Congress moderates while simultaneously being an issue of enough importance to mobilize a mass following (Copley 46-8)

http://www.dadalos.org/int/Vorbilder/vorbilder/gandhi/salzmarsch.htm Gandhi began a new campaign in 1930, the Salt [|Satyagraha]. Gandhi and his followers set off on a 200-mile journey from Ashram Ahmedabad to the Arabian Ocean where Gandhi wanted to pick up a few grains of salt. This action formed the symbolic focal point of a campaign of civil disobedience in which the state monopoly on salt was the first target. Prior to the beginning of the action, Gandhi sent a letter to the Lord Lieutenant "Dear Friend (...) Whilst, therefore, I hold the British rule to be a curse, I do not intend harm to a single Englishman or to any legitimate interest he may have in India (...) My ambition is nothing less than to bring round the English people through non-violence to recognize the injustice they have done to India. I do not intend to be offensive to your people. Indeed, I would like to serve your people as I would my own (...)." Yet the Lord Lieutenant didn't even reply personally to his letter. Gandhi held his last prayer meeting on the evening of the 11th of March 1930. "There can be no turning back for us hereafter. We will keep on our fight till swaraj is established in India. Those of them that are married should take leave of their wives. We are as good as parting from the Ashram and from our homes.--- Let nobody assume that after I am arrested there will be no one left to guide them. It is not I but Pandit Jawaharlal who is your guide. He has the capacity to lead."

After a 24-hour long march to the Indian Ocean, Gandhi picked up a few pieces of salt - a signal to the rest of the sub-continent to do the same. This raw material was carried inland before being processed on the roofs of houses in pans and then sold. Over 50,000 Indians were imprisoned for breaking the salt laws. The entire protest was carried out almost without violence. Indeed, it was this that annoyed the police

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Satyagraha The **Salt Satyagraha** was a campaign of non-violent protest against the British salt tax in colonial India which began with the **Salt March to Dandi** on March 12, 1930. It was the first act of organized opposition to British rule after //[|Purna Swaraj]//, the declaration of independence by the [|Indian National Congress]. [|Mahatma Gandhi] led the Dandi march from his [|Sabarmati Ashram] to [|Dandi, Gujarat] to make salt, with growing numbers of Indians joining him along the way. When Gandhi broke the salt laws in Dandi at the conclusion of the march on April 6, 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience against the [|British Raj] [|salt laws] by millions of Indians.[|[1]] Gandhi was arrested on May 5, 1930, just days before his planned raid on the Dharasana Salt Works. The Dandi March and the ensuing [|Dharasana Satyagraha] drew worldwide attention to the [|Indian independence movement] through extensive newspaper and newsreel coverage. The [|satyagraha] against the salt tax continued for almost a year, ending with Gandhi's release from jail and negotiations with [|Viceroy] [|Lord Irwin] at the Second [|Round Table Conference].[|[2]] Over 80,000 Indians were jailed as a result of the Salt Satyagraha.[|[3]] The campaign had a significant effect on changing world and British attitudes toward Indian independence,[|[4]][|[5]] and caused large numbers of Indians to actively join the fight for the first time, but failed to win major concessions from the British.[|[6]] Gandhi was born in Porbander, India on October 2, 1869. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He made peace. And he once said “If we want real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children.” He tried to stop the war and that’s why he said that. In 1922, Gandhi was in prison for 2 years. He was there from 1922 to 1924. Once, Gandhi got kicked off of a train by a white man because he was supposed to sit in third class and he was in first class. He refused to move and got kicked off. When Gandhi was 13 he was married to Kasturbai. When Gandhi died his ashes were mixed with rose petals. I wrote about Gandhi because he was a peaceful man and he really tried to help people.
 * Early life of Gandhi:**

**In 1893, at the time when the British controled South Africa Gandhi went on a one year legal work trip.** **He began to see how badly the Indian people were being treated, when he tried to get his legal citizenship as a British citizen, he was abused and harshly denied. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 21 years working to secure rights for Indian people.**
 * He created a method based upon the principles of courage, nonviolence and truth called Satyagraha. He thought that the way people achieve is better than the way people behave. Satyagraha promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience as the most appropriate methods for obtaining political and social goals. In 1915 Gandhi returned to India. Within 15 years he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement. **
 * Using the principles of Satyagraha he led the campaign for Indian independence from Britain. 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 just cause. Altogether he spent seven years in prison for his political activities. **
 * More than once Gandhi used fasting to impress upon others the need to be nonviolent. India was granted independence in 1947, and partitioned into India and Pakistan. Rioting between Hindus and Muslims followed. Gandhi had been an advocate for a united India where Hindus and Muslims lived together in peace. **
 * On January 13, 1948, at the age of 78, he began a fast with the purpose of stopping the bloodshed. After 5 days the opposing leaders pledged to stop the fighting and Gandhi broke his fast. Twelve days later a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse who opposed his program of tolerance for all creeds and religion assassinated him. **

Book citations; APA format:


 * Rajmohan, (c2008). //Gandhi : the man, his people, and the empire//. University of California Press.
 * Clayborne, A. (c2003). //Gandhi : the peaceful revolutionary//. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn