Throughout history, there have been people who have risen up, become leaders, and fought for what is right. Some of these names include John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon B. Johnson, Benjamin Franklin, and Nelson Mandela. All these people are remembered for speaking out and defending people who cannot defend themselves, due to intolerance and love of power. Perhaps one of the greatest among all is Mohandas K. Gandhi. Gandhi did the same thing as all the other liberators, but with a different approach. The approach of peace and nonviolence.Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India (Jegen 17). He was born into a rich, successful and wealthy family. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, was a politician with no formal education and his mother, Putlibai Gandhi, was illiterate, but devoted to her Hindu faith (Sarvodaya). Growing up, Gandhi did poorly in school and hardly made friends. He began smoking at the age of twelve and, to support this habit, stole money from a servant and his brother. Finally, he saw the error of his ways. In fact, he was so sorry that he wrote an apology letter to his father expecting a furious reaction. His father cried instead (Jegen 18). This showed him a prime example of ahimsa, or nonviolence, something he would later model his entire career on. Gandhi got married at the age of thirteen to Kasturbai Makanji. He still remained in his shell and still had the same childhood fears, such as ghosts, snakes and the dark. These fears prevented him from staying in his shell and caused him shame, especially when his wife Kasturbai went out at night and he stayed at home. Their servant, Rambha, tried to change his view by saying, “It is better to face fear and not b... middle of paper... be beaten with truncheons and rifle butts and not shudder, they proved that England was helpless and India invincible. The rest was only a matter of time (Jegen 65).” Needless to say, the tax was removed and India later gained independence. Years later, Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist while on his way to night devotions. As he lay there dying, his only concern was that the killer remained unharmed. His last words were "He Ram, He Ram" (Oh God, Oh God) (Sarvodaya). Throughout history, there have been people who have stood up, become leaders, and fought for what is right. These people have left their footprints in history, but perhaps a select few have left footprints the size of Gandhi's. Saying "Be the change you wish to see in the world", Gandhi did just that and inspired many others to leave their own footprints as well as people who have yet to leave theirs..