Independence day is a part of Indian Modern history. It begins with the end of medieval history in 1707, when the last successful Mughal emperor Aurangzeb died and ends on 15th August 1947 with Britishers giving independence to India. Even today, the 15th August celebration is a vital part for Indians. What is the importance of independence day for kids? is a question every parent thinks about. Here is the answer.
What is the Importance of Independence Day?
Do you remember the time when you learned a lot of historical dates and events without realizing their vitality? The long history chapters with information from prehistoric times to modern history were boring for most people. You might even today think that why history is a subject in schools? Why should you know the importance of Independence day? Here is an answer.
People learn from experiences. History is a collection of experiences of a different set of people around the world. When you tell kids about Independence day, they learn about the mistakes of their ancestors and try to avoid them in their life. It is the primary reason to read history.
It is quite difficult to teach kids what is importance of Independence day. You can do this by explaining to them the various events that happened for independence. However, the vast amount of events make it difficult for kids to learn.
Thus this article disintegrates various events into points that are easy for kids to understand and learn. Through reading these events, kids will understand what is the importance of independence day?
Also Read: 75 Children’s Topics for Essays: Get Your Kid Started with Practising Essay Writing
Events Your Kids Should Know
No one can measure the significance of a day as vital as independence day. It marks the end of a revolution that was going on in India since 1857. Here are some facts about it.
1. First War of Independence
Everyone knows about the struggle of freedom fighters in the freedom of India. However, people mostly forget about the first war of independence fought by ordinary people under great leaders like Mangal Pandey, Maharani Laxmibai, etc. Some facts related to it are:
- It is also known as Indian Mutiny, India’s First War of Independence, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or the Sepoy Mutiny.
- It was named India’s First War for Independence because it was the first time people came together with a common interest to oppose British rule. Before this, no such mass movement took place in India. Hence no revolt was termed as India’s revolt.
- The war started on 11th May 1857. Started in Meerut, it spread to Delhi, Bombay, Etawah, Mainpuri, Aligarh, Nasirabad, Bulandshahar, Shahjahanpur, Moradabad, and Bareilly.
- Some of the great fighters of the 1857 war were Nana Saheb, Rani Laxmibai, Bahadur Shah Jafar ( last Mughal Ruler), Tantya Tope, Kuwar Singh, Begum Hazrat Mahal, and Mirza Mughal.
- The war ended in 1859 with the execution of Tantya Tope.
The Britishers reacted aggressively. They soon suppressed the revolt. Also, the rule of the East India Company ended. The power to rule India directly shifted to the British parliament. Queen Victoria got the title of ‘Empress of India.’ The viceroy of India started representing on her behalf. It is an important historical event for kids Independence day.
These events explain that freedom was not something India received in a day or two. Rather it was a process of events that finally led to the special day of the 15th August celebration. Hence, the day is vital for every Indian.
Everyone knows that on 15th August, India became a free country, that is, it was no longer a British colony. India adopted democracy. Here is a list of events that led to the independence of India.
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2. Gandhiji and various freedom struggles
Gandhi Ji is among the most popular and followed freedom fighters. To kick out the Britishers, he led many movements. Some facts to kids should know are:
- After successfully fighting racism in South Africa with Nelson Mandela ( first president of Africa ), Gandhiji returned to India in January 2015. He used the method of Satyagraha there and implied the same technique in India.
- After his arrival, he organized Satyagraha in various places for the benefit of peasants. In 1916, he inspired the peasants of Champaran, Bihar, to fight against the plantation system. Further, he organized Satyagraha in the Kheda district and Ahmedabad of Gujarat.
- In 1909, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement. Gandhi Ji declared in his book Hind Swaraj that British rule came to India and survived in India with the support of Indians. Thus, once Indians stop co-operating, the Britishers will go soon.
- After Lord Irwin denied negotiating the demand put by him, Gandhi Ji launched his famous civil disobedience movement. It started with the famous Dandi March to break the government’s monopoly over salt. Since salt was used by every section of the society, he saw salt as something that could unite the Indians. No one was allowed to produce salt and Britishers used to impose heavy tax on it. Gandhiji, with his 78 volunteers, marched from the Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi. They made salt out of ocean water and broke the law.
- After Irwin accepted some of the conditions put forward by Gandhiji, he called off the Civil Disobedience Movement.
- Another significant movement launched by Gandhiji was the Quit India movement in 1942.
Many other freedom fighters battled against Brishters in their way. Some of them are Subhash Chandra Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lagpat Rai, Annie Besant { a Irish lady who launched Home Rule Movement ), Bhagal Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Vallabhbhai Patel, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Mangal Pandey, Sarojini Naidu, Khudiram Bose, Tatya Tope, Bipin Chandra Pal, Alluri Sitaram Raju. After a continuous struggle, India finally gets freedom from the 200 years of British rule on 15th August 1947.
So, this is the answer to what is the importance of Independence day for kids? You can say that the day is not only vital for kids but every Indian. It reminds all citizens that the
Conclusion
Independence day is one of the most significant days in medieval history. At that time, world politics and situations were changing drastically. The second world war just ended. England was out of resources and the position of superpower shifted to the USA from England. This 15th Day of August was a fresh start for Indians to write the future of the country the way they want. After 2 years 11 months and 18 days, the constitution was written by the constituent assembly. Rajendra Prasad was elected as First President and Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister. On this day, kids should understand the difficulties India went through before getting Independence. Thus, they should understand its value.
