18882014523What is courage?

If you look in Websters dictionary, it would tell you that courage is a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. No one really knows exactly what courage is until you need to posses it and it is different for everyone. Personally, courage exemplifies and highlights parts of your personality; it brings forth how far you are willing to fight to overcome difficulties. The signers of the Declaration exhibited a tremendous amount of courage, to withstand the obstacles they faced and dealt with. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Gandhi demonstrates yet another symbol of courage through his opposition of violence and desire for peace. The signers of the Declaration of Independence are truly remarkable people, to be able to hang on their word and live through the torture they endured. All signers, had more to lose from [the] revolution than [they] had to gain by it, so to look past their own good for the good of the country displays the type of men they were. Most of the signers were more economically secure than the majority of the nation; they consisted of judges, lawyers, merchants, landowners, farmers, doctors, ministers, and politicians. The signers lost everything after they published the declaration, the British soldiers looked for them day and night, and when you were found your family was torn apart, your belongings completely tarnished, and stuck in prison for the rest of your life. The 56 signers were not dreamy eyed intellectuals they were fully aware of the possible consequences of treason and they were ready for it. These men proved their courage and determination through this pledge, And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes

and our sacred honor. In this pledge they promise to stand by their decision even if it costs them their life. Mohandas Gandhi is considered the father of the Indian independence movement. Gandhi spent twenty years in South Africa working to fight discrimination. It was there that he created his concept of satyagraha, a non-violent way of protesting against injustices. While in India, Gandhi's virtue, simple lifestyle, and minimal dress endeared him to the people. He spent his remaining years working diligently to both remove British rule from India as well as to better the lives of India's poorest classes. Many civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., used Gandhi's concept of non-violent protest as a model for their own struggles. In my eyes, he displayed tremedous amounts of courage by sticking to his non-violence campagin because he could have easily retreated back to the traditional army style of gaining independence from Britain but by sustaining peace from his side he became a figure head for future civil movements. In the words of Gandhi, be the change you want to see in the world, he accuratley displays his words of wisdom by resisting violence personallly. The 56 signers of Declaration also became the change they wanted in their country, they persisted change even if it meant to lay their own lives down for the cause. Both the signers and Gandhi set their own precedents through various acts of courage.