Name: Rishi Chanda

English project Class: 8

Roll No: 23
Glimpses of the past

This summarises the small parts of

the history of India from 1757 to
1857. All of these events led to the
first war of independence in 1857.
1. The Martyrs
Martyrs: They are people who sacrifice their life for
for a cause or movement.

They are also known as freedom fighters

Some famous martyrs are:

● Mahatma Gandhi
● Bhagat Singh
● Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
● Jawaharlal Nehru
● Rani Laxmibai
2. The Company’s Conquests

In 18th Century, the British East India Company

extended its power to India with its superior weapons.
However, Indian princes ignored them. The British had
rivalries with princes, and gained their trust. People
like Tipu Sultan saw what the British were trying to do
and defeated and died fighting. Indians were divided
on this subject. Some thought that that the British were
killing their kings and taking land that used to belong
to their kings, but others thought that the British were
saving them.
3. British Rule (1765-1836)

Religious leaders raised superstitions about and ideas like

untouchablility and child marriage. The British, who were
merchants, imposed heavy taxes on poor peasants. If these
peasants did not pay these taxes, their land, which was
being cultivated by them for generations, were taken away
and they would be beaten. Even then the British found
more ways to exploit Indians, like not having any import
duty on goods brought from India, etc. The number of
artisans decreased because of British policies.
4. Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833)

Ram Mohan Roy was from Bengal. He understood

that the superstitions were segregating and ruining
Indians. He said that our culture is great, and that we
are capable of great achievements. He said that we
must first reform our society.

An example he gave to his wife was that cows were

of different colours, but the milk was the same.
Different teachers had different opinions but the
essence of every religion was the same.
4. Ram Mohan Roy

He was attracted by science and modern knowledge. He said that knowledge should be
practical and scientific. He started newspapers but the British got suspicious and stopped
them in 1823.

He went to England to see what made the British powerful. He told them that they
accepted them as rules, but they had to have responsibilities and respect their subjects.
5. Oppression (1765-1835)

The British continued to oppress Indians, and they

had passes laws like regulation III, which said that
Indians could be jailed without a trial in court.
Meanwhile, British officers took big salaries and
made more money in their other private businesses,

By 1839, British was exporting goods worth 7 crore

rupees to India.
6. Dissatisfaction (1835-1856)

Education in India was taught in Persian and

Sanskrit. It was Macaulay in 1835 who suggested a
change. He proposed that people should be taught
in English. The people who learnt English decided
that they wanted to teach everyone else.

By 1856, British had conquered the whole of India.

They hardly cared about Indians needs.
7. The Sparks (1855-1857)

Taxes continued to ruin the peasants and farmers, so

in Bengal, the Santhals, who had lost their lands,
became desperate. They revolted, and killed
Europeans and their supporters in 1855. The East
India Company’s Army also felt discouraged. Many
sepoys revolted and as a consequence, their uniforms
were taken and they were put in jail. Almost none of
the Englishmen cared to understand Indian customs.
Lotus flowers circulated among Indian soldiers. They
all helped and gave shelter to the patriots.
8. Revolt

There was a voilent outbreak in Meerut. Sepoys

marched to Dehli and the rebellion became more
popular. Due to english policies, many landlords
had lost their lands, and they wanted to finally
overcome the British.
9. The Fight For Freedom (1857)

Many formal rulers like Begum Hazrat, Mahal of

Lucknow, got extremely angry. Freedom fighters and
leaders like Maulvi Ahmedulla of Faizabad told
people that the British was ruining their land.
Azfmulla Khan told Tatya Tope that they should have
Peshwa Nana Sheb as their leader in the war. Patriots
fought many wars against the British in battles all
over North India.

Kunwar Singh of Bihar, who was 80 years old, was

injured with a bullet in his wrist.