On June 7, 1893, Mohandas Ghandi committed his first act of civil disobedience in South Africa. Because he was an Indian, Ghandi was ordered to move to the third class section of a train, despite holding a first class ticket. When he refused, Ghandi was thrown off of the train. Ghandi would go on to organize efforts by Indians living in South Africa to oppose racial discrimination there by founding the Natal Indian Congress. He would then return to his native India to lead its drive for independence from Great Britain.



Learn more about the Natal Indian Congress from the South African History Archive.