Two twentieth-century leaders who have continued to influence non-violent social protest movements internationally are Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King.Jr, Of different races and cultures, born on opposite sides of the world in nations vastly different in wealth and technology, these two aggressive men in their later years shared the philosophy of non-violent, but direct, action and expended their lives in pursuit of peaceful solutions to social inequities. An examination of their lives, consequently, reveals both similarities and differences in their family backgrounds, ideology, and plans for social action. Gandhi's and King's family backgrounds show similarities and differences. Gandhi was a Hindi of the Baniyu (Trading) Caste; his father, nevertheless, was …show more content…
Early environment, family tradition, and study of both Gandhi and King, at some points similar but at most points different, shape their characters and form their expectations for their societies and their people . Both Gandhi and King believed that their aims could be achieved through non- violent means. They held a common ideology of non-violence. This common ideology on non-violence was not to be understood as a failure to act. It should be understood as a direct resistance which is grounded in love force or agraha. Gandhi said men must resist the evil that men do by refusing to obey a man-made law which contradicted a higher moral law. He often reminded them that blood would have to flow before the Indians attained their ends, but he said the blood must be their blood, not the oppressors. King cried out, 'I hope no one has to die as a result of our struggle... but if anyone has to die, let it be me'. King reminded Black Americans that they must love their enemies even if it means suffering and death. Similarities in the ideologies of the two men are most apparent since Gandhi was one of the most influential in the development of the King's
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister, activist and leader in the civil rights movement. He was inspired by the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi. Though they were nonviolent and pacifist, Gandhi and King were justified in breaking the law. In the articles “Excerpt from Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “Text from Letter to Viceroy, Lord Irwin” Gandhi and king were known to feel that the laws are legal, but not just and that the threat of violence cannot be used to limit freedom of speech.
Gandhi, King and Chavez all shared one similar goal. That goal was to bring society back from a culture of violence and hate, to a culture of peace and harmony. The method employed in their human rights struggles to achieve social justice was through the supreme importance of non-violent civil resistance/non-violence. A way civil resisters show their civil disobedience is by “noiselessly going to prison” to “ensure a calm atmosphere“ that will then “justify mass disobedience as civil, which means gentle, truthful, humble, knowing, loving, never criminal and hateful,“ (Gandhi, 358). Gandhi, King, and Chavez were all devoutly religious, but their tactics differed in the ways they approached non-violence. Gandhi approached non-violence ideological
Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi was a spiritual leader from India. Dr. King was inspired by Gandhi after hearing a delivery by Dr. Mordecai Johnson president of Howard University. His words about Gandhi inspired King to want to learn more about him. He purchased all the books he could find and grew more passionately about Gandhi’s beliefs. Gandhi believed in non-violence. Gandhi tested various methods of non-violence. He felt that having high standards and morals did not make one weak. Gandhi felt that good should prevail over evil.
Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. were both extremely eminent figures of the twentieth century. They correspond to Transcendentalism, the idea that you should not conform to society’s laws and expectations, which essential in Gandhi and MLK’s philosophies. It is to do what you feel like doing, and not follow along or be influenced by the crowd, to follow your intuition. MLK and Gandhi both held non-violent resistances. MLK focused on promoting equality and anti-racism, and Gandhi wanted to give India independence from British rule, as well as fight the racism towards Indians in South Africa. Both Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi’s movements and beliefs were influenced by Henry David Thoreau, and they hold a strong connection to transcendentalism.
Bang! A bullet traveled through his head, beat up and left to rot in the Mississippi River; the murder of Emmett Till sparked a revolution. The Civil Rights Movement, emerged in 1954 and ended in 1968, was a movement that attempted and successfully addressed discrimination against people, specifically African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are two of the many leaders that led the Civil rights movement, however they both has different approaches to dealing with the current issue. King’s belief was inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy, which is to protest by nonviolence. On the other hand, Malcolm X believes that his people should not endure the abuse, but rather retaliate with force if necessary. Throughout history, methods used
In today's society, the foundation of civil uprisings have been constructed on the principles of both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.. Even though we are in the 21st century and have overcome numerous events, today we are still fighting the obstacles that both these men had fought during their lifetime. Unfortunately, equality for everyone is still not a concept that has been reached in America, but due to innumerous protests many great outcomes have risen. Both Gandhi and King fabricated a method of non-violent protesting that only benefits the protestors because they give authority no reason to intervene. If authority was interfere against the protest, then the cause would rise in popularity and aggrandize. Although this type of
When Gandhi was trying to prove a point he did two main things, he would get arrested or he would stop eating. One of the main ways he got the Indians to stop using violence against the English was through not eating. He would not eat for days and sometimes weeks just to get his people to stop fighting. Although the founding father of civil disobedience was Henry David Thoreau but Gandhi was the first to really adopt the lifestyle of non-violence, he took constant beatings to show that being violent wa snot the answer. There was two different ways that Gandhi looked at violence, passive and physical. Passive meaning that you get under someone's skin and provoke the physical violence from the person. Physical obviously meaning physically harming someone or something. Gandhi used the term “Ahimsa”, which translates to nonviolence in english, when talking about nonviolence. The term means that no violence is okay passive nor physical. Gandhi also believed that violence was not a natural thing of humans, he believed it was learned through experience.
Comparing the Civil Disobedience of Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau, and Mohandas Gandhi
Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist and writer who would lead the independence movement of India to free the country of British rule (“Mahatma Gandhi,” 2017). He would prove that a single person could change the course of history and take on the entire British Empire. Gandhi’s principles of nonviolence and civil disobedience are attributed to his success in gaining independence for India. The act of passive resistance allowed Gandhi to generate more support for his movement for independence while making it difficult for the British to find reasons to arrest them. He argued that although violence could be more effective than peaceful
Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi are both great exmples and role models of the nonviolent protest from there very different religious backgrounds. Although the two have different religious beliefs, but the fact that they have the same approach to the nonviolent factor that plays a big role in the world still to this day. Martin Luther King Jr. a black male southern Baptis preacher who was from Atlanta who was born in 1929, then years later assassinated on a hotel balcony in 1968 (fisher 367). Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born October 2, 1869, in Porbandar and was then later assassinated in 1948. But the inspiration and teachings from both Dr. king Jr. and Gandhi, their lives and spiritual teachings live on in the hearts of millions of people throughout the world today.
The year of 1959 was the year that Martin Luther King Jr. took a month long trip to India. He traveled around for weeks and when he left the Land of Gandhi he was even more convinced that peaceful, non-violent protest and resistance was “ the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.”
He helped India become independent from Britain. He was jailed many times and at one trial he said, “In my humble opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.” Gandhi never wanted violence, the British sometimes struck back with violence but he encouraged all Indians to remain nonviolent. Some ended up turning violent but Gandhi would only lead nonviolent movements. Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights movement in the United States, which fought for equal rights for the blacks in the United States. During the movement, they used civil disobedience by holding sit-ins, boycotting riding the buses, and the marches they held. There civil disobedience and protest eventually led to equal rights for black people.
Mohandas Gandhi was the first recorded individual to adopt a non-violent method based form for change. His primary objective was for people of all ethnicities and social class to live freely amongst each other, even those inflicted upon by India’s ancient caste system.
A chapter in history can start by the acts of one powerful, passionate, and intelligent human being. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are great examples of individuals that turned the tide of history. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. were similar in many ways; they both believe that non-violent methods were more effective and efficient, they both believed in equality, giving people second chances and forgiveness. Though they had many similarities there was one key difference that differentiated the two, their religion. “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being". The book The Essential Gandhi expresses Gandhi’s views on issues like untouchability, religion, nationality, his movements like civil-disobedience are deeply shown in this book. Readers can learn about Gandhi’s childhood, his early married life, his realization and transition in South Africa, and his ways of approach towards attaining Independence in India. The book did a fantastic job in showing the Gandhi’s principles like non-violence with exemplary contexts.