Task_2

Task 2 A. One man we always here about doing great things for the people around him was Mohandas Gandhi. Yet a lot of people don’t really know what he has done. We hear or see quotes of what he has said and despite how accurate they are in our lives they are also very true, meaningful words from a man who cared about people. When we wanted to make a point he didn’t want to do a protest with violence. Gandhi took the vow of brahmacharya which had allowed him to come up with the concept of satyagraha, which means truth force. He would use this in many protest he conducted. The first time Gandhi used satyagraha was in 1907 in South Africa. “He organized an opposition to the Asiatic Registration Act ( which was known as the Black Act)” ( Rosenberg, 2013). The law was passed and it required all Indians to get no matter age or sex to be fingerprinted and they had to keep registration papers on them at all times. Gandhi and the people protested using satyagraha and many protesters were beaten and sent to jail, Gandhi was one of them. It was his first arrest. It took seven long years of protest before the act was repealed. “Gandhi had proved that nonviolent protest could be immensely successful” (Rosenberg, 2013). This was a significant social change Gandhi was a part of and the first one he used nonviolent tactics to get what he and his people needed. Another great significant social change Gandhi was a part of was The Salt March. The British owned India and the Indian people were feeling the effects of it when they weren’t allowed to own or salt not sold produced by the British government, it was illegal ( Rosenberg, 2013). In 1928 Gandhi and the Indian National Congress (INC) proclaimed to the British government if India was not granted the status of Commonwealth they would organize a state wide protest (Rosenberg, 2013). Of course the British government did not grant them this and Gandhi once again using satyagraha started his protest. This protest was to help his people be able to produce salt, they used salt as a spice that they used in everyday cooking. Gandhi and 78 followers set out on a march 200 miles away (Rosenberg, 2013). They were headed to the sea and every day the crowd grew and grew. During their travels Gandhi announced they were marching to the Dharasana Saltworks which was owned the British government, he was sent to jail without trial. The marchers reached to 2,500 marchers and they were met by 400 police men and 6 British officers, 25 at a time they marched up to the police and they were beaten to the ground. Once all 25 were beaten another 25 made the march and they were beaten. This continued till everyone was beaten. Not on marcher raised a hand or put up a fight, they used what Gandhi called satyagaha, while this was happening Gandhi was still imprisoned. The news about what happened to the protesters got out and the British viceroy, Lord Irwin knew he had to do something. He met with Gandi and they agreed on the Delhi Pact, which granted the India people to produce small amounts of salt and freeing the protesters from jail. What Gandhi did for his people was very important to the people of India. They used salt every day and now they are able to produce it and not worry about going to jail. B. The first thing we think about when we hear the name Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) is the “I have a dream” speech. But not everyone knows why he gave that speech and what he was doing it for. MLK was a man that put his foot down to get what he thought the African-American community needed. They wanted equal right, the same as the white Americans. MLK gave the famous “I have a dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963; it was also called the “million man march”. The African-American community was protesting to the government that they wanted to end school segregation, civil right legislation, a law that included prohibiting racial discrimination in employment; protection of civil rights workers from police brutality and $2 minimum wage for all workers. In 1964, due mostly by the March on Washington, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, legalizing the elimination of racial segregation in the United States (About dr. king, 2012). This act was a landmark win in what Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished. He was an important member in orchestrating the march and letting the government know he and the African-American community wanted equal right. He got his dream and it was a huge social change along with a political change. People had to get use to the fact that everyone one in the United States had equal right and it was because of MLK. Another huge social change MLK was a part of was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It took 381 days of nearly everyone in the black community to participate; many had to walk miles to work each day, got what they wanted (About dr. king, 2012). “The U.S Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in transportation was unconstitutional”. What this meant was an African-American was able to sit where ever they wanted on the bus. They weren’t just allowed to sit in the back of the bus. References About dr. king. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.thekingcenter.org Rosenberg, J. (2013). 20th century history. Retrieved from http://www.history1900s.about.com