When People Rebel 1857

This history chapter studies the great revolt of 1857, when sepoys, peasants, zamindars and rulers rose against the East India Company. You will learn the causes: nawabs and rajas lost power through annexations such as Awadh in 1856, the Doctrine of Lapse took away kingdoms like Jhansi, the Mughal dynasty was told it would end with Bahadur Shah Zafar, peasants suffered under high revenue, and sepoys were unhappy about pay, service overseas and the new cartridges believed to be greased with the fat of cows and pigs. Reforms such as laws on sati and widow remarriage made many fear that the British were attacking their religion. You will follow the events: Mangal Pandey was hanged at Barrackpore in April 1857, the sepoys of Meerut rebelled on 10 May and marched to Delhi, proclaiming Bahadur Shah Zafar their leader. Leaders such as Nana Saheb, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rani Lakshmibai, Tantia Tope and Kunwar Singh joined. The British crushed the revolt, and in 1858 the Crown took over the government of India.

Detailed Worksheet: When People Rebel 1857 Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. Who were the sepoys? Why were they unhappy with the Company? (2 marks) 2. What was the issue of the greased cartridges? (2 marks) 3. Who was Mangal Pandey? What happened to him? (2 marks) 4. Who was Bahadur Shah Zafar? What role did he play in 1857? (2 marks) 5. What changes did the Government of India Act, 1858 bring? (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. Arrange these events in chronological order with dates: Meerut sepoys rebel, Mangal Pandey hanged, British recapture Delhi, annexation of Awadh, Rani Lakshmibai killed, Government of India Act. (3 marks) 7. In 1857, there were about 2,32,000 sepoys and 45,000 European soldiers in the Company army. Find the total and the percentage of Indian sepoys. Why did the British later change this ratio? (3 marks) 8. At Meerut, 85 sepoys who refused the new cartridges were dismissed and sentenced to 10 years in jail. If the sentence began in May 1857, when would it have ended? What did their fellow sepoys do on 10 May 1857? (3 marks) 9. Match each leader with the centre of revolt: Nana Saheb, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rani Lakshmibai, Kunwar Singh, Bakht Khan, Ahmadullah Shah. Centres: (i) Jhansi (ii) Kanpur (iii) Lucknow (iv) Arrah in Bihar (v) Faizabad (vi) Bareilly and Delhi. (3 marks) 10. Bahadur Shah Zafar was born in 1775 and became emperor in 1837. He was exiled to Rangoon after 1857 and died there in 1862. How old was he in 1857 and when he died? For how many years was he emperor until 1857? (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. On an outline map of India, mark the main centres of the revolt of 1857: Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Arrah, Barrackpore and Gwalior. (4 marks) 12. Draw a flowchart showing the political, economic, religious and military causes of the revolt of 1857. (3 marks) 13. Draw a timeline from 1856 to 1859 showing at least six events of the revolt. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Explain how the policies of the Company towards nawabs, rajas and the Mughal emperor led them to join the revolt. (5 marks) 15. Why did the revolt spread so quickly from Meerut to Delhi and other parts of North India? Describe the role of any three leaders. (5 marks) 16. Explain the changes the British made after the revolt in the government, the army, and their policy towards Indian rulers, landlords and religion. (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Write dates and names accurately and use the outline map provided.