The Bakery Hill Speech
“Liberty!
Fellow diggers, outraged at the unaccountable conduct of the Camp officials, in such a wicked license-hunt at the point of the bayonet as the one this morning, we take it as an insult to our manhood...
It is my duty now to swear you in, and to take with you the oath to be faithful to the Southern Cross. Now hear me with attention. The man who, after this solemn oath does not stand by our standard, is a coward at heart.
We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties.
Comrades, assist me to pray for the safety of these men. Bless these men that go to fight for their rights and liberties. May Heaven shield them from danger. I charge you to commit no violence to the peaceably disposed. I will shoot the first man who takes any property from another except arms and ammunition and what is necessary for us to use in our defence.
Now fall in comrades, and march behind our standard to the Eureka.”
Fellow diggers, outraged at the unaccountable conduct of the Camp officials, in such a wicked license-hunt at the point of the bayonet as the one this morning, we take it as an insult to our manhood...
It is my duty now to swear you in, and to take with you the oath to be faithful to the Southern Cross. Now hear me with attention. The man who, after this solemn oath does not stand by our standard, is a coward at heart.
We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties.
Comrades, assist me to pray for the safety of these men. Bless these men that go to fight for their rights and liberties. May Heaven shield them from danger. I charge you to commit no violence to the peaceably disposed. I will shoot the first man who takes any property from another except arms and ammunition and what is necessary for us to use in our defence.
Now fall in comrades, and march behind our standard to the Eureka.”
Definitions and Meanings
Liberty -To be free, to be without restrictions of authority or to have basic civil rights. Have ones own view of thinking.
Southern Cross -A constellation of stars that only the Southern Hemisphere can see. Was used in the Eureka flag because it was unique to Australia, England could not see the stars representing they had cut off connections with them.
Oath -A pledge/statement taken on views, facts and promises on a provocative subject.
Fellow Diggers -Referring to the minors on the Ballarat gold fields.
License Hunt- At the time of the Gold licenses there would be license checks to see that people were mining legally. These routine checks became very unfair and soldiers became extremely corrupts treating the minors like animals.
Bayonet -A knife that is detachable from the top of a gun.
Peaceably Disposed - to have a peaceful disposition.
Coward at heart - To not have confidence in yourself and the cause.
Defend- To fight for a certain right or purpose to stop others from changing it.
Southern Cross -A constellation of stars that only the Southern Hemisphere can see. Was used in the Eureka flag because it was unique to Australia, England could not see the stars representing they had cut off connections with them.
Oath -A pledge/statement taken on views, facts and promises on a provocative subject.
Fellow Diggers -Referring to the minors on the Ballarat gold fields.
License Hunt- At the time of the Gold licenses there would be license checks to see that people were mining legally. These routine checks became very unfair and soldiers became extremely corrupts treating the minors like animals.
Bayonet -A knife that is detachable from the top of a gun.
Peaceably Disposed - to have a peaceful disposition.
Coward at heart - To not have confidence in yourself and the cause.
Defend- To fight for a certain right or purpose to stop others from changing it.
The speech broken down
“Liberty!
Fight for our rights, let's have the rights we work for.
Fellow diggers, outraged at the unaccountable conduct of the Camp officials, in such a wicked license-hunt at the point of the bayonet as the one this morning, we take it as an insult to our manhood... To our friends and peers, we are furious at the way the Camp officials run the gold fields, the way they treat us when checking our license is unforgivable. It has gotten to the point of physical abuse. This is an insult to our pride.
It is my duty now to swear you in, and to take with you the oath to be faithful to the Southern Cross. Now hear me with attention. The man who, after this solemn oath does not stand by our standard, is a coward at heart.
It is my right to take this oath on behalf of all the diggers. May we be faithful to our own rules and laws. We swear on the southern cross. Now pay attention. The man who retreats after taking this oath is a coward.
We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties. We swear by our own symbol of the southern cross to stand together, and fight to save our rights and freedom.
Comrades, assist me to pray for the safety of these men. Bless these men that go to fight for their rights and liberties. May Heaven shield them from danger. I charge you to commit no violence to the peaceably disposed. I will shoot the first man who takes any property from another except arms and ammunition and what is necessary for us to use in our defence. My friends, help me pray for these men. Bless these men that will fight for our right. May you keep them safe from any danger. do not show violence to those who have a peaceful disposition. I will take revenge on the first man who does anything out of the necessary. May it be fair combat.
Now fall in comrades, and march behind our standard to the Eureka.”
Now everyone gather together, and march behind our stand to the Eureka.
Original Speech
Transcript
Fight for our rights, let's have the rights we work for.
Fellow diggers, outraged at the unaccountable conduct of the Camp officials, in such a wicked license-hunt at the point of the bayonet as the one this morning, we take it as an insult to our manhood... To our friends and peers, we are furious at the way the Camp officials run the gold fields, the way they treat us when checking our license is unforgivable. It has gotten to the point of physical abuse. This is an insult to our pride.
It is my duty now to swear you in, and to take with you the oath to be faithful to the Southern Cross. Now hear me with attention. The man who, after this solemn oath does not stand by our standard, is a coward at heart.
It is my right to take this oath on behalf of all the diggers. May we be faithful to our own rules and laws. We swear on the southern cross. Now pay attention. The man who retreats after taking this oath is a coward.
We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties. We swear by our own symbol of the southern cross to stand together, and fight to save our rights and freedom.
Comrades, assist me to pray for the safety of these men. Bless these men that go to fight for their rights and liberties. May Heaven shield them from danger. I charge you to commit no violence to the peaceably disposed. I will shoot the first man who takes any property from another except arms and ammunition and what is necessary for us to use in our defence. My friends, help me pray for these men. Bless these men that will fight for our right. May you keep them safe from any danger. do not show violence to those who have a peaceful disposition. I will take revenge on the first man who does anything out of the necessary. May it be fair combat.
Now fall in comrades, and march behind our standard to the Eureka.”
Now everyone gather together, and march behind our stand to the Eureka.
Original Speech
Transcript
About the speech
This oath was made by activist Peter Lalor and taken on behalf of the diggers, to value their own rights and their
independence. This oath was like a battle call, it made lots of people think.
The Bakery Hill Speech was extremely powerful and persuasive due to the many techniques that he used. During the speech he mentions many times about having to fight for their rights and justice. This was their main goal and they were fighting for that reason. This reinforced their reason to fight when he brought up the recent acts of the soldiers in the licence hunts.
Another very persuasive technique was when he mentioned that those who don't stand by their oath will be a coward. This speech was heard by all the diggers willing to fight, so if someone did back out then they would be known as a coward.
In the oath he made sure that everyone was included, this made them feel special and apart of the situation. Instead of just taking the oath on behalf of the diggers he knew that making them feel included would create a string bond between them. He always mentioned "their rights" or words like "you" and "we".
Not only was the speech persuasive, it was also extremely inspiring. It really gave the diggers the boost of confidence that they needed. It told them about the path that they would have it if all went to plan, it inspired people to want and value their freedom even more than they had.
The People Speak, "democracy is not a spectator sport", 2014, History, www.thepeoplespeak.thehistorychannel.com.au
Australian government, "The Famous Bakery Hill Speech", 02/July/2007, Splash ABC, www.splash.abc.net.au/media?id=29421
By Emily Chim
independence. This oath was like a battle call, it made lots of people think.
The Bakery Hill Speech was extremely powerful and persuasive due to the many techniques that he used. During the speech he mentions many times about having to fight for their rights and justice. This was their main goal and they were fighting for that reason. This reinforced their reason to fight when he brought up the recent acts of the soldiers in the licence hunts.
Another very persuasive technique was when he mentioned that those who don't stand by their oath will be a coward. This speech was heard by all the diggers willing to fight, so if someone did back out then they would be known as a coward.
In the oath he made sure that everyone was included, this made them feel special and apart of the situation. Instead of just taking the oath on behalf of the diggers he knew that making them feel included would create a string bond between them. He always mentioned "their rights" or words like "you" and "we".
Not only was the speech persuasive, it was also extremely inspiring. It really gave the diggers the boost of confidence that they needed. It told them about the path that they would have it if all went to plan, it inspired people to want and value their freedom even more than they had.
The People Speak, "democracy is not a spectator sport", 2014, History, www.thepeoplespeak.thehistorychannel.com.au
Australian government, "The Famous Bakery Hill Speech", 02/July/2007, Splash ABC, www.splash.abc.net.au/media?id=29421
By Emily Chim