Comparison between Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi

He strived for the rights and the equality of the blacks and all the people who experienced unfairness and injustice by carrying out peaceful protests (Colaiaco,4). Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 in India and died in 1948. He is remembered for being a freedom activist and a leader who led India in the struggle for its independence against Britain. He also advocated for the human rights of the Indians who lived in South Africa. He was imprisoned so many times during his time as a leader of his non-violence independence movement (Gandhi,12). Gandhi was one of the biggest believer and supporter of this method, he suggested that the use of civil actions, was a better and effective way of forcing the ruling parties to re consider their policies and give way to a better ruling force.

Martin Luther was also against the use of violence, that’s why he became the biggest contributor to the emergence of the civil right movement. Gandhi’s idea on the non-violent method was inspired by Henry Thoreau’s emphasis on resisting against the things that were not right. One of the greatest Thoreau’s idea that greatly influenced Gandhi’s decisions was the resistance against any immoral and unfair government by not co-operating, it is also called Satyagraha. Some of the non-violent activities Gandhi and his people engaged in included, hunger strike and using goods that were only made by the Indians. On the other hand, Martin Luther King used a hard way during the cold war to confront the American actions, especially when the Vietnam War was taking place.