Freedom 

We all want it

But do we all have it

Some people have always had it 

For others it came much later 

The robbery of freedom stemming from the universal traitor

Britain

With their forces surrounding like a hand in a mitten

Thanks to the British East India Company 

The Salt Act of 1882

Left Indians nothing else to do 

But civilly disobey 

In order to get their way

If they abided,

British salt would be the only salt provided 

Just like you’d think

The people were not pleased 

Their motivation would never sink

The opportunity had to be seized 

Gandhi and his followers

Believed peace was a safe option

The practice of Satyagraha 

Encountered a widespread adoption

Peaceful protest 

1930 Salt March 

A few thousand headed west
In search of freedom at large

They took to the ocean to make their own salt
They knew they weren’t the ones at fault 

A group of sixty thousand suffered the consequences 

Feeling like they were stuck behind fences 

Only 9 years before this horrible event 

Gandhi himself expressed his opinions on torment:
“I believe in the power of suffering to melt the stoniest heart.”

The people will not be torn apart 

Gandhi’s influence didn’t stop there 

He remained as a reminder of what is truly fair 

MLK Jr. took a trip to Mumbai

His respect for Gandhi would never die

He preached the message of peace

Then came the American Civil Rights Movement 

The fight for freedom that would never cease

Experienced a vast improvement 

Nonviolent resistance had reached its prime 

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the event of its time

They protested the existence of the segregated bus

The right to sit where they pleased did not seem like something they needed to discuss

The boycott went on for a year

But they wanted to make it clear

They weren’t going to stand for segregation

And they didn’t stop until it was outlawed across the nation

Although there are more examples, I’m sure you can understand 

The impact that came from just one man

Still, he would be nothing without his inspiration 

We thank you Britain for being the causation

If you didn’t take the rights in the first place

There would have been no fight to face 

You caused a lot of trouble 

I’m surprised you weren’t in power for longer

We still have to clean up all of the rubble 

But at least we can say you made us stronger

Works Cited

“Gandhi, Mohandas K.” Stanford University, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/gandhi-mohandas-k#:~:text=A%20testament%20to%20the%20revolutionary,(Papers%204%3A478). Accessed 5 June 2022.

“Gandhi’s Salt March.” YouTube, 18 Apr. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj8Gf1rkJK8. Accessed 5 June 2022.

“Montgomery Bus Boycott.” Stanford University, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/montgomery-bus-boycott. Accessed 5 June 2022.

“Salt March.” HISTORY, A&E Television Networks, 16 Jan. 2020, www.history.com/topics/india/salt-march. Accessed 5 June 2022.

“Satyagraha.” Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Jan. 2015. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/satyagraha/65872. Accessed 5 Jun. 2022.

Sutherland, Val. “The British East India Company & The British Raj.” Google Slides, 5 May 2022, docs.google.com/presentation/d/11pgRy44xE6CXlTFo0-YoPfD6D_yFmP64ekUmURRBnDA/edit#slide=id.p. Accessed 5 June 2022.

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