A Culture of Nonviolence

Could you imagine being such a greedy and insecure colonial power that you force your subjects to buy salt from you? That was what the British Empire did in the waning days of their rule in India. (Though they didn’t yet know those days were waning.)

The Salt Act of 1882 prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt. After years of oppression, Mohandas Gandhi had another idea: nonviolent protest. In 1930, Gandhi led a march for 240 miles, ending at the Arabian Sea where the protestors would collect their own salt. After scores of other acts of civil disobedience, India won independence in 1947.

Gandhi’s principles and actions went on to inspire thousands of people trying to toss off the chains of oppression, from South Africa to the United States.

Remember that the next time you reach for the salt . . . or march in a protest.