What traumatic event does Zitkala-Sa describe at the school?

The forcible cutting of her long hair

Why was the cutting of her hair so humiliating to Zitkala-Sa?

Among her people, shingled hair was worn by cowards and mourners

When and where did the revolt of 1857 begin?

It began on 10 May 1857 in the Meerut cantonment, when sepoys mutinied and were soon joined by ordinary townspeople and villagers.

Why did the sepoys march to Delhi?

They went to the old Mughal capital to seek the blessing and leadership of the emperor Bahadur Shah, giving the revolt a focus and legitimacy.

What was the immediate cause of the mutiny?

The introduction of the greased cartridge, believed to be coated with the fat of cows and pigs, which the sepoys had to bite, offending both Hindu and Muslim religious sentiment.

What were the deeper causes of the revolt?

Resentment at annexations such as that of Awadh and the Doctrine of Lapse, the decline of landed and ruling groups, economic hardship, and fears that British rule threatened religion and custom.

Who were some important leaders of the revolt?

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Nana Sahib, Tantia Tope, Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh and the emperor Bahadur Shah in Delhi.

How did the rebels seek to legitimise their actions?

They proclaimed Bahadur Shah as their leader, issued proclamations appealing to Hindus and Muslims alike, and tried to restore older forms of authority.

Why did the annexation of Awadh cause such anger?

It dethroned a respected ruler, dispossessed taluqdars and disrupted the lives of soldiers and people connected to the kingdom, fuelling discontent.

How did the British suppress the revolt?

With overwhelming military force, recapturing Delhi and other centres, punishing rebels harshly, and exiling Bahadur Shah to Rangoon.

How was the revolt represented in British sources?

British accounts, paintings and reports portrayed heroic, suffering Britons and demonised the rebels, justifying severe repression.

How was the revolt remembered by Indians?

In nationalist memory and writing the rebels were celebrated as heroes who resisted foreign rule, and figures like Rani Lakshmibai became symbols of patriotism.

Rebels and the Raj — The Revolt of 1857 and its Representations

Class 12 History · Themes in Indian History Part III · Chapter 2

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CBSE Class 12 · History

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23 of 100 marks: Thinkers, Beliefs, Buildings
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Summary

The chapter studies the great uprising that began on 10 May 1857, when sepoys in the Meerut cantonment mutinied, were joined by townspeople and villagers, and marched to Delhi, where they proclaimed the aged Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar their leader. The immediate trigger was the new greased cartridge believed to be coated with the fat of cows and pigs, which offended both Hindu and Muslim sepoys, but deeper causes lay in resentment at British policies — annexations under the Doctrine of Lapse, the takeover of Awadh, the decline of landed groups, and fears for religion and custom. The revolt spread through the Gangetic plains and central India, with leaders such as Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Nana Sahib, Tantia Tope and Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh. Rebels attacked symbols of British power, issued proclamations appealing to people of all faiths, and tried to restore older forms of authority. The British eventually crushed the revolt with great force, recapturing Delhi and other centres, and Bahadur Shah was exiled to Rangoon. The chapter pays special attention to how the events were represented — in British accounts, paintings and reports that portrayed heroic Britons and demonised rebels, and in Indian memory and nationalist writing that celebrated the rebels — and shows how historians read these contrasting sources to understand both the rebellion and its many afterlives.

The outbreak at Meerut and DelhiCauses: cartridges, annexation and discontentLeaders and the spread of the revoltSuppression and its aftermathRepresenting the revolt in image and memory

Key terms

Sepoy

An Indian soldier in the Company's army, whose mutiny at Meerut began the revolt.

Greased cartridge

The cartridge believed to be coated with cow and pig fat, a trigger for the sepoy mutiny.

Bahadur Shah Zafar

The last Mughal emperor, proclaimed symbolic leader of the 1857 revolt and later exiled to Rangoon.

Doctrine of Lapse

A British policy of annexing states without a natural heir, resented by many rulers.

Rani Lakshmibai

The ruler of Jhansi who became a celebrated leader of the revolt.

Awadh

The kingdom annexed by the British in 1856, whose loss fed deep discontent in 1857.

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Where did the revolt of 1857 begin on 10 May?

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Rebels and the Raj — The Revolt of 1857 and its Representations

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