Introduction
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi the social reformer, leader of Indian nationalism and also a religious leader is among the most pronounced global leader; in propagation of nonviolent confrontations to fight for social and political strive. His philosophy and approach on social and political strives not only led to the ultimate attainment of Indian independence, but also affected various people and events around the globe. At around the same time when Gandhi was leading the fight independence in India, African Americans, on the other hand, were fighting for equal rights in the United States. However, the influence of his leadership styles and philosophies spread around the globe, and various famous global leaders made entourage to India to engage with him.
Gandhi political philosophies and ideologies are dated back when he was in England for his undergraduate degree in law. It is noted that Gandhi engaged with various leaders and philosophers who propagated for liberation and the need to maintain peace. His philosophy mainly referred to as Satyagraha, which is based on truth contributed significantly to the contemporary social and political issues affecting the people. In Gandhi’s approach towards dealing with various social and political problems such as inequality and lack of liberty, people fought for their rights in a manner that does not affect the opponents. The African Americans had a lot to share with Gandhi having passed through their predicaments of unequal treatment in England and South Africa, where he had been to fight for the social rights of Indians living South Africa.
For example, at one point in time when he was travelling to Durban in a first class cabin, he was forced out of the cabin since the first class cabins were meant for the whites. The African Americans were also suffering from social segregation and were fighting for equality. Majority of the leaders considered violent revolt to fight for their rights. However, on encountering Gandhi’s ideologies and philosophies they opted for non-violent and peaceful means through which they could fight for the rights of the African Americans. This paper will evaluate the effect of Gandhi’s philosophies and ideologies of Gandhi in the fight of equal rights for the African Americans.
There have been various African American leaders who were influenced by Gandhi’s philosophy, ideologies and approach towards political and social strives. For example, Martin Luther the famous Baptist minister derived his philosophies and ideologies from the bible, through understanding the teaching of Jesus. However, there were various other non-Christian ideologies and philosophies of non violence developed and adopted by Mahatma Gandhi. However, it did not mean that Gandhi’s philosophy and ideologies were opposing Christianity values. For example, the philosophy and ideology of use of non-violent means to fight for social and political rights is deeply embedded in the Hindu religion. However, an extensive study of other religions also shows that they also fight for moral traditions and acts and believe that problems can be resolved without the use of violence.
Therefore, the fight for equal rights by the African American was highly influenced by Gandhi’s philosophy and ideologies. There were various other leaders who express the influence of Gandhi’s philosophy and ideologies in their practice. The most tremendous contribution of Gandhi in history of African Americans was the influence he had on the African American leaders and their qualities. For example, the call of Gandhi for truism and adoption of nonviolence measures in the fight for political and social rights. For example, Martin Luther king adopted these philosophies and ideologies in fighting for equal rights of African Americans. Throughout his life, Gandhi practiced his ideologies and philosophies of truism and nonviolence measures in dealing with issues affecting the society and the country at large. Gandhi primary contention was standing for oneself fight against injustices live with dignity and integrity and prevail against what is evil.
Role of Gandhi’s Philosophies and Ideologies in the Civil Rights Movement
The African Americans used the civil rights movement to fight for their rights. According to Hindu teachings, there is an expression that the cosmic consciousness spreads though the universe connecting the whole universe. Therefore, what affect one person in the universe also affects another person in another region. Therefore, the teachings express that the world is like a family, and in a family the members’ actions and practices also affect other members. The teachings express that what happens in the east also affects the north, south and also west. Therefore, the nationalism movement led by Gandhi in India and the civil rights movement in the United States can be said to cosmically connected as they involved the fight for liberation. In addition, Gandhi also underwent racial discrimination in South Africa where he led various peaceful campaigns against injustice and racial discrimination. The civil rights movement in the 1950’s, also reflect hat Gandhi was doing in South Africa.
Gandhi believed that going to prison was a noble course, in the fight for injustice in the society. For example, when was jailed for civil disobedience and peaceful actions he read an essay written by Thoreau in 1849. The essay was written when Thoreau was jailed for refusing to engage in the Mexican war his essay was also derived from Indian scripture, which states that what goes around comes around.
The civil rights movements were basically nonviolent and basically adopted civil disobedience in fighting for the rights of the African Americans. There were various African American leaders who went to India to persuade Gandhi to go to US and lead and direct the struggle for equal rights. For example, Dr. Channing Tobias, Dr, Benjamin Mays, Dr. Howard Thurman and Bayard Rustin went to persuade Gandhi on various occasions. However, he stated that he could not leave his enslaved country to fight for the rights of the African Americans in the US. However, he could express sympathy for segregation and racial discrimination that was going on in the US, against African Americans. For example, he stated that as long as the fight for equal rights was the right thing and they adopted non-violent means of fighting for these rights they would have a bright future. He also expressed that the Negroes should continue passing messages of nonviolence in their fight for equal rights, which could also be delivered to other parts of the globe.
Majority of the African American leaders also kept close contacts with his works in India to draw more inspiration, and learning. African American newspapers and publications continually published his stories ideologies and philosophies illustrating his achievement and statements, which were of great important to the Negroes. For example, in 1934, Thunder presented Mahatma Gandhi’s story and demonstrations. In the same year, Baltimore Afro-American published articles about Gandhi expressing the Jim Crow rules as negation of humanity and civilization.
When the African American leaders had gone to persuade Gandhi to go with them in the United States to lead the struggle for equal rights in 1930, Gandhi was leading a march to the town of Dandi. In the Dandi march, Gandhi was accompanied by around hundred men, where the villagers could line up and greet him. His aim was gaining as much publicity as he could make, and the March achieved significant success. Majority of the participants in the march were arrested for breaking the imperial Salt Act. The visiting African American leader such as Bayard Rustin evaluated how they could apply the Dandi March, in the American context.
Mahatma Gandhi mixed spirituality in reforming the political and social systems in India. Similarly, reverend Dr. Martin Luther also married religion with politics in the fight for the right of the African Americans equality. As a moral agent, Gandhi pushed for social reforms and political reforms such as the need for independence and liberty in India. He applied the principle of Hindu religion, such as nonviolence and fasting to express and make his points. As a shrewd politician, he used moral methods in political activism such as fasting and Marches to express the issues affecting the people. Martin Luther was a reverend in the Baptist church, but also fought for the rights of the African American struggle for equality. Basing the struggle on Christianity principles and practices Martin Luther also adopted the nonviolent approaches in the civil rights movement.
After the Dandi March, Bayard Rustin went to discuss the use of Gandhi principles in the United States, in the fight for equality with Martin Luther. He introduced various publications on Gandhi principles and ideologies of dealing with political and social strive. They read the shortcomings of using violence as expressed by Gandhi, such as the law of retaliation, which would lead to multiplication of evil. Bayard Rustin used various methods to capture the attention of Martin on the need for use of nonviolence means. For example, he sent a note with a quote of Gandhi, which stated that if only a man, would achieve perfect love that could be able to neutralize hatred of millions of people. With the strict implementation of the Jim Crow rules, initially Martin Luther was apprehensive of the use of nonviolence in the struggle for equal rights. For example, during the Montgomery bus boycotts which were characterized with intensified violence.
High Profile African American Leaders Influenced by Gandhi’s Philosophy
Gandhi was a social reformer, religious leader and also a politician. There were various African American religious leaders and social idealist who were attracted by Gandhi’s efforts of applying religious and spiritual practices into politics. These principles and practices were used in finding solutions to political and social problems facing the society. These leaders were moved by the efforts of Gandhi in fighting for his country’s freedom. In the same case, they were also facing similar challenges in their country as African Americans were also fighting for equality. For example, John Haynes Holmes became a champion of popularizing Gandhi ideas in the fight for equal rights, in the country. Stanley Jones on a visit to India was deeply moved and influenced with his experience in India and the need to apply similar principles in the fight for equality. Among the key religious leaders influenced by their experience in India also included Kirby Page who was a champion for the peace movement in the country.
These events encouraged the religious leaders to attend various conferences in England and Paris such as Freedom for Darker Races, Pan-African and colored people Congress. These conferences were led primarily by followers of Gandhi ideologies and principles articulating the irrationality of the common plight of segregated communities.
Another important leader highly moved by Gandhi’s philosophies and ideologies was WEB Dubois and Marcus Garvey. Gandhi’s principles and ideologies cut across races and religions. For example, there were various white people who were also followers of Gandhi principles and ideologies. These took active roles in joining hands with African Americans in the fight for equal rights. Gandhi’s principles, philosophies and ideologies, were deeply rooted in the Christian religions, which is the primary religion among the African Americans. For example, the principle of love in the Gandhi’s ideologies is highly embedded in Christian values and practices. He expressed that the use of nonviolence means of fighting for equality was the most appropriate means through which the Negroes could fight for equality. He expressed that use of nonviolent means of fighting for equality rather than violent revolts would contribute significantly to the global peace.
In addition, Gandhi’s principles and ideologies are also based on the truism that the struggle should be based on truth. Christian values are deeply rooted on the value of truth, which was among the basic ideologies of Satyagraha, the model used by Mahatma Gandhi. His ideologies were also based on the need to ensure liberty and freedom of the people, which is also a major value in the Christian religion.
The association between the black Americans and Gandhi is dated back in the 1920’s, when major leaders sought Gandhi’s ideologies and principles in the fight for equal rights. The African Americans leaders had already experienced the fight for equality in India due to high solidarity under the leadership of Gandhi. African American media and publications also presented various stories on the use of nonviolent means of fighting for independence. Gandhi would meet the followers and teach them on the importance of adopting nonviolent means of fighting for independence. Majority of African American leaders were attracted by the approach used by Gandhi in the fight for India’s independence. Prominent African American leaders voyaged to India through the church social service and academia to learn on the applicability of Gandhi’s approach in the American context.
For example, majority of the leaders were amazed on the ability of Gandhi to teach Indian people nonviolent means of fighting for independence. The use of nonviolent means had led to the development of courageous and fearless society, which did not fear going to jail. In addition, his virtues taught and disciplined the people to face death and get imprisoned without resulting to violence. It was described that when a society or a race ceases to fear, they gain freedom even in the face of their oppressors. Therefore, the African American leaders had numerous lessons to learn from the leadership style and ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi. These principles and ideologies were implemented largely by the African American people in the fight for equality.
For example, Martin Luther King expressed that when he was in theology school, the only option he viewed that could result to the freedom of African Americans was only through armed violent revolt. The aspect of love according to King was only applicable and confined to personal relationships. Therefore, the principles of love could not be applied in social and political fields. However, after reading Gandhi’s publication on ethics of love as revealed by Jesus, he understood the broader perspective of love that it could spread social and political platforms. Gandhi’s teachings and ideologies enabled the African American leaders that use of violence could create enmity and hatred and result to more violence through the retaliation laws.
James Lawson was another African American who significantly propagated for the use of nonviolence means to fight for equal rights in America. He travelled to India in 1952 to increase his understanding of nonviolence means of fighting for the rights of the people. Initially, he had intellectual ground and practical experience in use of nonviolence and civil disobedience in protest against segregation. When he arrived in India, he spent time with satyagrahis and people who had closely worked with Gandhi and learned how they had been able to use the ideologies and principles propagated by Gandhi in the fight for liberation. Later they met with King on the need to use these principles in the south where Jim Crow rules were cruelly imposed on the African Americans. In the civil rights movement, James played an imperative role of improving cohesion of the African Americans in their fight for equal rights. He demonstrated strategic genius and had tremendous influence on the adoption of nonviolent means in the fight for civil rights. He was indispensable in translation of Gandhi’s ideologies and principles in organizing the African American struggle for freedom.
In conclusion, Gandhi influence globally on various high profile leaders is tremendous. His unique style of dealing with civil strife, political and social problems was admired globally. The use of nonviolence means of fighting for political and social equality has had a tremendous impact in the globe and especially in the 1950’s when most of the countries in Africa and Asia were fighting for equality. At the same time, the African Americans were fighting for equal rights and segregation by the whites. Various African American leaders were challenged by Gandhi’s style of leadership, and the need to employ his strategies and principles in the fight for the country’s freedom. High profile leaders in the African American society had even urged him to travel to the US to lead the fight for equal rights for the African American people. This shows that Gandhi’s principles and ideologies played an imperative role in the African American fight for equal rights.
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