Gandhi - His Influence In The Nonviolent Movement Essays

Gandhi - His Influence in the Nonviolent Movement I think Mohandas Gandhi was one of the most significant persons in the 20th century. He was the one who proved that it is possible to fight very successful without violence. He fought his whole life with humanity, tolerance, ideas and without violence. He showed the way to a better world. And still today there are many people who love him and who use his philosophy to change the world. A very important example is the fight against wars. Usually people who fight against a war try to fight without violence. They march through cities and try to convince people not to go to the war or something like that. Another very popular example is the fight against nuclear energy or nuclear weapons. Demonstrators sit on the road in front of a nuclear power station or block the way of trucks or trains, which carry nuclear waste. Or, very popular example, the French tests of nuclear weapons in the pacific. People opposed them and the press all over the world was talking about these tests. That was non-violent resistance. Marches all over the world and other non-violent actions. And another good example is "Greenpeace". They fight for the nature and their most important weapon is the public. They don't use violence but they use the press. The actions, they do are very spectacular and interesting for the whole world. Many people all over the world agree with what they are doing. An example for not using violence even if others use it against them was when they went very close to where the French wanted to test their nuclear weapons and the French soldiers entered their boat and destroyed lots of things and hit the Greenpeace activists. And all that was filmed by Greenpeace and these pictures were sent all over the world and came in the news everywhere. Also Martin Luther King didn't use violence in his fight for the rights of the black people in America. An example, which all of us see and experience from time to time is the strike. Gandhi made the strike as a way of fighting popular and it is still used today very often. At the start of the 20th century the British Empire was the biggest empire in the world. India was it's biggest colony and was very important to Britain. Gandhi managed to get India independent of the British. The biggest Empire in the world lost a war of independence against a country like India which not even used violence and good weapons for it's fights. That was a sign for the world. And especially for the other countries ruled by the British. It was then that many of those countries saw their chance for independence. Gandhi showed them the way. And that was one of the main causes for the independence of many of those countries. In the 1960's most colonies in Africa became independent and also Indochina became independent. I think that was also one of the things Gandhi caused or helped causing. Gandhi fought for the rights of minorities and people who were pushed down his whole life. He encouraged every one to stand up for their rights and to fight against cruelty. He showed the whole world how easy it is to fight for rights and how successful it can be if there are many people fighting for the same thing together. Many people in the whole world decided to start fighting for their rights when they realized how successful Gandhi was. That was the start of many fights for humanity and for rights of minorities. Good examples are the fights of the blacks in North America. Especially Martin Luther King fought under the influence of things Gandhi had said. Or the fights in South America under Ch? Guevara or even the fights of Aborigines in Australia. But those are only a few examples. Fights for rights happened and still happen all over the world again and again because there are always people who push others down. I think Gandhi played a big part in the fight for humanity and the rights of minorities. I think Gandhi was and is still a very significant person. He changed people's minds and opened lots of peoples minds. Still today when people see the movie that was made about his life and his fights they think about

Timeline of the Little Rock School Integration

Timeline of the Little Rock School Integration In September 1927, Little Rock Senior High School opened. Costing more than 1.5 million to construct, the school opened for white students only. Two years later, the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School opened for African-American students. Its construction cost $400,000 with donations from the Rosenwald Foundation and Rockefeller General Education Fund. 1954 May 17: The U.S. Supreme Court finds that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.May 22: Despite many southern school boards resisting the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Little Rock School Board decides to cooperate with the Court’s decision.August 23: The Arkansas NAACP Legal Redress Committee is led by attorney Wiley Branton. With Branton at the helm, the NAACP petitions the school board for prompt integration of public schools. 1955 May 24: The Blossom Plan is adopted by the Little Rock School Board. The Blossom Plan calls for the gradual integration of public schools. Beginning of September 1957, the high school would become integrated followed by lower grades over the next six years.May 31: The initial Supreme Court ruling provided no guidance on how to desegregate public schools yet acknowledged the need for further discussions. In another unanimous ruling known as Brown II, local federal judges are given the responsibility of ensuring that public school authorities integrate â€Å"with all deliberate speed.† 1956 February 8: The NAACP lawsuit, Aaron v. Cooper is dismissed by Federal Judge John E. Miller. Miller argues that the Little Rock School Board acted in â€Å"utmost good faith† in establishing the Blossom Plan.April: The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds Miller’s dismissal yet made the Little Rock School Board’s Blossom Plan a court mandate.   1957 August 27: The Mother’s League of Central High School holds its first meeting. The organization advocates for continued segregation in public schools and files a motion for a temporary injunction against integration at Central High School.August 29: Chancellor Murray Reed approves the injunction arguing that the integration of Central High School could lead to violence. Federal Judge Ronald Davies, however, voids the injunction, ordering the Little Rock School Board to continue with its plans for desegregation.September: The local NAACP registers nine African-Americans students to attend Central High School. These students were chosen based on their academic achievement and attendance.September 2: Orval Faubus, then governor of Arkansas, announces through a televised speech that African-American students would not be allowed to enter Central High School. Faubus also orders the state’s National Guard to enforce his orders.September 3: The Mother’s League, Citizenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Council, parents and students of Central High School hold a â€Å"sunrise service.† September 20: Federal judge Ronald Davies orders the National Guard to be removed from Central High School arguing that Faubus has not used them to preserve law and order. Once the National Guard leaves, the Little Rock Police Department arrive.September 23, 1957: The Little Rock Nine are escorted inside of Central High School while a mob of more than 1000 white residents protest outside. The nine students are later removed by local police officials for their own safety. In a televised speech, Dwight Eisenhower orders federal troops to stabilize violence in Little Rock, calling the behavior of white residents â€Å"disgraceful.†September 24: An estimated 1200 members of the 101st Airborne Division arrive in Little Rock, placing the Arkansas National Guard under federal orders.September 25: Escorted by federal troops, the Little Rock Nine are escorted into Central High School for their first day of classes.September 1957 to May 1958: The Little Rock Nine attend classes at Centr al High School but are met with physical and verbal abuse by students and staff. One of the Little Rock Nine, Minnijean Brown, was suspended for the remainder of the school year after she reacted to consistent confrontations with white students. 1958 May 25: Ernest Green, a senior member of the Little Rock Nine, is the first African-American to graduate from Central High School.June 3: After identifying several disciplinary issues at Central High School, the school board requests a delay in the desegregation plan.June 21: Judge Harry Lemly approves the delay of integration until January 1961. Lemly argues that although African-American students have a constitutional right to attend integrated schools, the â€Å"time has not come for them to enjoy [that right].†September 12: The Supreme Court rules that Little Rock must continue to use its desegregation plan in place. High schools are ordered to open on September 15.September 15: Faubus orders four high schools in Little Rock to be closed at 8 am.September 16: The Women’s Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC) is established and builds support to open public schools in Little Rock.September 27: White residents of Little Rock vote 19, 470 to 7,561 in support of segregation. The public schools remain closed. This becomes known as the â€Å"Lost Year.† 1959 May 5: Members of the school board in support of segregation vote not to renew the contracts of more than 40 teachers and school administrators in support of integration.May 8: WEC and a group of local business owners establish Stop This Outrageous Purge (STOP). The organization begins soliciting voter signatures to oust the school board members in favor of segregation. In retaliation, segregationists form the Committee to Retain Our Segregated Schools (CROSS).May 25: In a close vote, STOP wins the election. As a result, three segregationists are voted off the school board and three moderate members are appointed.August 12: Little Rock public high schools reopen. Segregationists protest at the State Capitol and Governor Faubus encourages them not to give up the struggle to keep schools from integrating. As a result, the segregationists march to Central High School. An estimated 21 people are arrested after police and fire departments break up the mob.