Author Bio: The document, The Azamgarh Proclamation has no one author. The document was composed by a group of rebels who believed that if they were to write this proclamation that the king of India would have put together a protest to change the British rule in India. These rebels were against the British East India Company, and they later realized that the company was far more powerful then them and the proclamation would mean nothing to the company.
Date/Context: This proclamation was written in the late 18th century during the time in which the Mogul Empire fell. The proclamation was written to hope of improving their country after the difficult times the country, and writers of the document, were facing.
Summary: This document is about the creation of the Azamgarh Proclamation. This article was written by rebels who it was addressed to the British East India Company. The motivation for the proclamation was to bring together more Muslims and Hindus who were against the British business in India. The proclamation was calling for the Muslims and Hindus of all classes and castes to rise against the faithless English who has taken control of their land. The proclamation also stated that all non-native traders and merchants were to be subject to public treason and this practice would be dispelled immediately. The proclamation failed in further spreading the sepoy rebellion, however, it brought light to the acts of the British East India Company on the native Indian peoples.
Key Quotation: "Lastly, be it known to all, that whoever, out of the above-named classes, shall... still cling to the British government, all his estates shall be confiscated, and his property plundered, and he himself, with his whole family, shall be imprisioned, and ultimately put to death."
I like how the author bio recognized that the proclamation was created by a group of people rather than a single author. This allows the reader to recognize that the ideas contained are common interests between more than one person. I also liked how it mentions that the British East India Company disregarded the proclamation. This shows how powerful the company actually was in India. Finally, I liked how it recognizes that the proclamation called for non-native traders to be prosecuted. This shows that the Indian people wanted a change in control in their country. However, I feel that is it important to recognize that some of the people rebelling from the British were kings and princes of India and other surrounding countries. This shows that it is in the best interest of everybody in the India and in other countries to rid India of the British rule. Also, it is important to recognize that the document says that the British put high taxes on landholders which lead to foreclosure on the land. This justifies the proclamation and gives it a common interest to the people of wealth. Finally, it is important to recognize that the proclamation says that public servants got paid very little by the British government and were not treated well. This shows that the British rule was also affecting the poor, and unites the wealthy and the poor to a common cause.
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