"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi's purposeGandhi devoted his life to creating freedom in India. One thing Gandhi wanted to do was get rid of was the Indian caste system, which caused much discrimination. Another goal that Gandhi had, which was necessary for Gandhi to be able to abolish untouchablity, was to get rid of the British rule in India. However. Gandhi was very against violence and war and refused to utilize it to free the Indians. One of Gandhi's most important historical moment was the abolition of the British salt tax on India.
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The Salt March
What many people consider Gandhi's biggest “moment” happened in 1930. The British had put a very high tax on salt in India. The Indians couldn't afford to pay such a high price for their salt, but they also didn't have the power to resist with force. This is when Gandhi stepped up and took action. He led a march to the sea that spanned 250 miles to collect his own salt, followed by a growing group of followers that eventually grew as he rallied until there were tens of thousands of them. As soon as he picked up the salt he was, of course, arrested, along with 60,000 other people. But the damage had already been done. At first glance, Gandhi’s purpose in the movement seemed to be to
simply say “no” to the British tax collectors.
But his real purpose was to show that they would not be unjustly ruled
by the British. That they would not give in to their unfair laws and
taxes. Gandhi’s action sparked a movement of peaceful protesting that eventually led to India's freedom.
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