Have you ever had to make a decision that affected a whole nation or even the whole world? Probably not. Most people do not put it upon themselves to be responsible for the fate of a nation, much less the entire world. If people look back into history, they will see that many leaders have influenced the world in which we live in today, but very few people have influenced the world in positive ways. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of these individuals. .
His Letter from the Birmingham Jail showed how much he was willing to stand up for what is right. This letter influenced nonviolent movements throughout the world and inspired people to resolve problems peacefully. King truly cared about justice, and he was willing to stand up for his beliefs. Many individuals who stood up for justice influenced King, and among them was Mahatma Gandhi. .
Gandhi was modern India's greatest spiritual and political leader. Gandhi tried to teach his people to avoid violence and to struggle for independence from Britain by using a method of action based upon the principles of courage, nonviolence, and truth called Satyagraha. He wanted to show the world that many conflicts could be resolved without using violence. By achieving the independence of India through nonviolence, Gandhi proved to the world that using this method is possible to effect change in the world and to make the world a more peaceful place. Along the road to independence from Britain, one of the great things that Gandhi accomplished in India was to improve the economy and give the people of India something to do in their spare time. For example, most of the clothes worn by the Indian people were made in Britain, so Gandhi told everybody to burn their old clothes and start spinning themselves new ones made in India. Instead of wasting money on buying clothes from Britain, India was able to make clothes, while weakening Britain and strengthening itself.