The Eureka Stockade
The Eureka stockade
Year 9 History – Essay
Introduction:
The Eureka rebellion in 1854 was a huge milestone in the struggle for democratic rights and a more fair and equal society. Eureka was in some ways a conflict over what Australian society should be. Today, Eureka is still a symbol of resistance. The Eureka rebellion occurred during the gold rushes in the 1850s. The gold rushes marked a turning point in Australia’s history, motivating a massive scramble of people from other countries to the Australian goldfields. The population of Australia tripled in the first decade of the gold rushes and wealth gained from gold that was mined raised living standards. These developments paved the way for more democratic and fair rights and a colonial self-government. Since this event, Australia has become a land of opportunity. However, the gold rushes also had consequences including violent political protests.
The lead up:
Life on the gold fields was extremely hard for many diggers whose backbreaking work yielded very little. Very few found riches. In 1851, the New South Wales and Victorian governments passed laws demanding that anyone digging for gold had to buy a licence which cost 30 shillings per month. This fee had to be paid in advance and gave a digger the right to work on only a very small area of land. Any diggers that were not British had to pay twice as much for a licence. Many diggers did not buy licences because they could not afford the upfront cost of buying a licence. The gold commissioners sent troops to catch these diggers. If diggers were caught without licences they were fined and had their huts and equipment destroyed. Some were even sent to jail. Following angry protests in 1853, New South Wales reduced the fee to 10 shillings a month. However, Victoria only reduced the cost to 20 shillings. This was still too high because as less surface gold was found diggers incomes were becoming smaller. Mines sunk
Year 9 History – Essay
Introduction:
The Eureka rebellion in 1854 was a huge milestone in the struggle for democratic rights and a more fair and equal society. Eureka was in some ways a conflict over what Australian society should be. Today, Eureka is still a symbol of resistance. The Eureka rebellion occurred during the gold rushes in the 1850s. The gold rushes marked a turning point in Australia’s history, motivating a massive scramble of people from other countries to the Australian goldfields. The population of Australia tripled in the first decade of the gold rushes and wealth gained from gold that was mined raised living standards. These developments paved the way for more democratic and fair rights and a colonial self-government. Since this event, Australia has become a land of opportunity. However, the gold rushes also had consequences including violent political protests.
The lead up:
Life on the gold fields was extremely hard for many diggers whose backbreaking work yielded very little. Very few found riches. In 1851, the New South Wales and Victorian governments passed laws demanding that anyone digging for gold had to buy a licence which cost 30 shillings per month. This fee had to be paid in advance and gave a digger the right to work on only a very small area of land. Any diggers that were not British had to pay twice as much for a licence. Many diggers did not buy licences because they could not afford the upfront cost of buying a licence. The gold commissioners sent troops to catch these diggers. If diggers were caught without licences they were fined and had their huts and equipment destroyed. Some were even sent to jail. Following angry protests in 1853, New South Wales reduced the fee to 10 shillings a month. However, Victoria only reduced the cost to 20 shillings. This was still too high because as less surface gold was found diggers incomes were becoming smaller. Mines sunk