Indian+Response+to+Colonization

=__ Indian Response to Colonization __= ==** The British imperialists were not well received by the native Indians, to say the least. By the year 1857, Britain was in complete control of all political and economic power in India. The British were swiftly Westernizing India by abolishing Hinduism and establishing Christianity, as well as other major cultural changes. Dissatisfaction and resentment were spreading rapidly among native Indians. **==

__** The Sepoy Mutiny **__
===** The Sepoy were native Indian troops in the British army. Their rebellion began on May 10, 1857. The revolt was started because the cartridges for the troops' rifles had been greased with the fat of beef and pork. In order for the cartridges to be used, they had to be bitten off. This caused the refusal of all Muslim and Hindu Sepoy soldiers to use the cartridges, the reason being the specific religious diets they followed. When the British commanders discovered the troops' refusals, the Sepoy were imprisoned and placed in iron chains. The soldiers were soon rescued by their comrades and marched to Delhi where they met another native Indian garrison. The mutineers merged parties and proclaimed the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, as their leader.This one rebellion led to a nation-wide revolt. **===

**__Second-Class Citizens__**

=== When the British entered India, almost all cultural tradition s were disregarded. The imperialists began to tear down native religions, such as Hinduism and Islam. Christianity, assumed by the British to be the only religion worth following, was brought to the Indian people who were forced to follow it. Other major changes in their society were things akin with new technology, new laws, and news rulers that were forced upon them. Native Indians were not given the chance to hold an equal government office to a British soldier.They were also treated as less intelligent and lower than the British who came to "civilize" them. The Indians did not readily accept, in fact they fought being second-class citizens within their own country. ===