By 1783, Britain had lost the American Revolution (1775–1783). Those 13 colonies became the United States. The British looked for other lands to colonize. They turned their attention to India. The British East India Company (EIC) had been in India since the 1600s. By the late 1700s it was seizing control of the region.

The EIC was a business, not a government. Still, it conquered and ruled territories in India. The EIC profited from the resources and people there. Any resistance to its control was met with force. The EIC used British troops. They were aided by Indian soldiers called sepoys. In 1857, though, the EIC’s abuse of native peoples led to an uprising.

Sepoy Soldiers

Becoming a sepoy for the British was a good-paying job for a young Indian man. However, sepoys faced racial and religious discrimination. Some were Muslims, followers of Islam. Others were Hindu, a religion with roots in India. Promotion was out of the question. All officers were British. Sepoys, though, provided manpower to control native peoples. They also were sent elsewhere to help expand the British Empire.

By the mid-1800s, many Indians were growing more and more upset with the EIC. They faced high taxes and racist rules. British disrespect for local customs added to tensions. They took Indian lands in underhanded ways.

The spark that lit the fire

The first uprising began in May 1857. It started at an army base about 40 miles outside the capital city of Delhi. Anger about ammunition triggered the conflict. Sepoys had heard stories about the new bullet cartridges they were using. They were greased with animal fat from pigs and cows. Each cartridge had to be opened by biting off the top. Nearly every sepoy, though, was either Muslim or Hindu. For Muslims, their religion forbids eating any part of a pig. For Hindus, the same rule applies to cows. Some sepoys refused to bite the greased cartridges. They were sent to prison.

Their fellow sepoys rose up to free them. Several British officers were killed. The violence spread quickly. The next day, the sepoys reached Delhi. They mobbed the British storehouse for weapons. They also asked a Mughal emperor to rule again. The Mughal Empire had once controlled the region. He agreed.

News spread fast. Fighting broke out across northern India. By the end, more than 50,000 sepoys had been killed. Another 100,000 civilians also died because of British-led actions.

Not all of India rebelled. Many sepoys remained loyal to the British. The sepoys helped put down the uprising. The EIC and its British troops took revenge across the region. They set out to punish the rebels. The EIC and British troops terrorized communities that had helped the rebels. It took a full year for the British to regain control of the country.

Mutiny, Revolt, or War of Independence?

Many historians still debate the causes of the Indian rebellion. In truth, Indians rebelled for many reasons: high taxes, treatment of peasants, and opposition to Christian missionaries. British responses to the uprising were often racist.

Outcomes and legacies

The East India Company lost its authority after the rebellion. Britain, though, took control of India directly. It became part of the British Empire. However, British officials distrusted the native peoples they controlled. The opposite was also true.

The new British colonial government treated native peoples harshly. Police cracked down. Racist rules were enforced. For example, whites and native peoples were segregated, or kept separate. Educated Indians had little chance to find good jobs. British authorities thought of India’s native people as “savage.” They considered Indians unworthy of ruling themselves.

India’s struggle for independence did not succeed until 1947.