The Eureka Stockade
The Eureka Stockade Essay:
Describe the main causes of the Eureka stockade and Discuss the short term and long term results of this event.
By Madeline Heawood
Society & History 2012
Mrs Vickers
Word Count: 884 words
The Eureka Stockade is said to be one of the main events of Australian History. On Sunday the 3rd of December 1854, 22 diggers and 5 troops were killed in a battle lasting only 20 minutes known as the Eureka Stockade. The main causes of this battle was due to the gold diggers opposing the Governments miners licenses, which was an easy way for the Government to make money on Gold via taxes. The death of James Scobie a Scottish Gold digger also contributed to the Eureka Stockade due to the lack of evidence against his murderers. The miners felt that justice had not been served. The short term results were based around Peter Laylor and his involvement in the battle. The long term results were all about the freedom of everyday people and a more democratic Australia.
The causes of the Eureka Stockade in 1854 were instrumental factors of the Gold rush period. The Victorian Government passed law that any person wanting to dig for Gold had to be licensed at a cost of 30 shillings per month. The digger was then given only a small amount of land to work. Non British diggers licenses were at a cost of 60 shillings per month. Diggers then started working together as a way of cutting license costs. Many diggers who could not afford licenses were eventually caught by the gold commissioners and as a consequence had their equipment and huts destroyed. Some of them were fined and even sent to jail. The licenses were dropped to 10 shillings for everyone in 1853 after some protests outburst. James Scobie’s Murder was also a main cause.
The murder of James Scobie occurred on October 7 1854 when he burst into a pub after hours demanding a drink. An inquest was held that afternoon and the hotel keeper, James Bentley denied having
Describe the main causes of the Eureka stockade and Discuss the short term and long term results of this event.
By Madeline Heawood
Society & History 2012
Mrs Vickers
Word Count: 884 words
The Eureka Stockade is said to be one of the main events of Australian History. On Sunday the 3rd of December 1854, 22 diggers and 5 troops were killed in a battle lasting only 20 minutes known as the Eureka Stockade. The main causes of this battle was due to the gold diggers opposing the Governments miners licenses, which was an easy way for the Government to make money on Gold via taxes. The death of James Scobie a Scottish Gold digger also contributed to the Eureka Stockade due to the lack of evidence against his murderers. The miners felt that justice had not been served. The short term results were based around Peter Laylor and his involvement in the battle. The long term results were all about the freedom of everyday people and a more democratic Australia.
The causes of the Eureka Stockade in 1854 were instrumental factors of the Gold rush period. The Victorian Government passed law that any person wanting to dig for Gold had to be licensed at a cost of 30 shillings per month. The digger was then given only a small amount of land to work. Non British diggers licenses were at a cost of 60 shillings per month. Diggers then started working together as a way of cutting license costs. Many diggers who could not afford licenses were eventually caught by the gold commissioners and as a consequence had their equipment and huts destroyed. Some of them were fined and even sent to jail. The licenses were dropped to 10 shillings for everyone in 1853 after some protests outburst. James Scobie’s Murder was also a main cause.
The murder of James Scobie occurred on October 7 1854 when he burst into a pub after hours demanding a drink. An inquest was held that afternoon and the hotel keeper, James Bentley denied having
Bibliography: Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Rebellion: The Eureka Stockade [Online] (2012). "How long did the Eureka Stockade last for." The Q&A wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Aug. 2012. . "Eureka Stockade - definition of Eureka Stockade by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2012. Winton, Guy de. "~ GOLD ~." SBS - Special Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2012. . ----------------------- “The Eureka flag is thought to have been designed by a Canadian miner whose surname was Ross. The stars represent the Southern Cross and the white cross is a symbol of unity... signifying unity under the Southern Cross. The original is on display in a Ballarat museum.”