Compare And Contrast Gandhi And Transcendentalism

Mahatma Gandhi lived in India during the nineteen and twentieth centuries and served as India’s most prominent revolutionary leader during that time. To most, Gandhi is considered to be a social nonconformist due to his unique beliefs during his time. Another group of nonconformists are Transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The Transcendentalist movement took place in America in the 19th century and was led by many influential thinkers. Both Gandhi and the Transcendentalist thinkers shared common beliefs such as a person’s right to civil disobedience, the problems of social injustice, and the importance of civil rights but they also had separate views on matters such as religion.
Mohandas (later becoming Mahatma- …show more content…
Gandhi was imprisoned in South Africa in 1907 for his incompliance with a new law requiring the fingerprinting of all Indians. He utilized his time in prison to read “Civil Disobedience”, an essay by one of the most influential Transcendentalist thinkers, Henry David Thoreau. This essay is most likely what inspired some of Gandhi’s firm beliefs about nonviolent resistance. The Transcendentalists held strong beliefs about the importance of a person’s individuality. In a way, Gandhi also shared this belief. The British rule in India limited individuality and cultural expression of India and Gandhi fought to bring back a sense of nationalism and individualism to India’s people. Additionally, the two parties had a shared view on the importance of the basic civil and social rights of all people. Transcendentalists were the forerunners on issues such as women’s rights and improvements in the education system, all contributing to improving the right to equality and to an education. Similarly, Gandhi devoted his time in Africa to achieving equal social rights for Indian and black population. However, even with all the similarities between the two, differences still arise. Religion was a central asset to Gandhi’s campaign against the British but organized religion was shunned by the Transcendentalists. Gandhi was a devout Hindu with his sights set on achieving a peace between the Hindu and Muslim populations of India to create a stronger resistance against the British rule. Transcendentalists were opposed to the idea of structured religion, believing that it was just a means to limit the individuality and potential of a person. Many shared values but also some divergences exist between Mahatma Gandhi and the