BALLARAT REFORM LEAGUE
The Ballarat Reform League was a movement sparked by the frustration that the miners felt because of how Governor Hotham and the police were treating them. The Reform League stated on the 11th of November 1854, when a large group of over 10,000 miners assembled at Bakery Hill to take a stand and protest against the government. The protests started out calm and peaceful but when the government payed no attention to them they decided it was time to step it up a bit. The miners began manufacturing their own weapons called pikes that were like a sharp piece of metal on the end of a large stick or branch. They used the pikes when they went to war with the government.
ROLE OF THE BALLARAT REFORM LEAGUE
The Ballarat Reform League was formed when the miners became quite angry with the policemen and how they were harassing and hunting the miners with out a licence. The miners hated the gold licences because they were very expensive and entitled them to nothing, no land to build on, no rights, and no guarantee of even finding gold. The League was established so that as a group maybe the government would pay attention to their wants and needs but instead they got brushed aside and ignored. IMPACT OF THE BALLARAT REFORM LEAGUE the impact that the governor had on the miners was huge, all they had to do was ignore them and it made them very mad. i believe that the battle was the governments fault because the miners would of continued to pay for the gold licences if it gave them some rights and responsibilities. THE UPRISING Within months of the first piece of gold found on the goldfields, the mining licence was introduced and licence checks quickly became armed hunts. The miners were sick of being targeted like dogs and ignored so they decided to take matters into own hands and began preparung for battle and making weapons. two days before the battle took place, the miners said... "It's not fines, imprisonments, taxation and bayonets that is required to keep people tranquil and content, it's attenention to their wants and just rights alone that will make the miners content." All of this could have easily been avoided if the governor had just payed attention to the miners needs and entitled them to fair rights and liberties. |
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WHAT THE MINERS WANTED TO ACHIVE
There were five main objectives that the miners set out to achieve, they were…
- Full and fair representation
- Manhood suffrage
- No property qualification of members of the legislative council
- Payment of members
- Short duration of parliament
There were five main objectives that the miners set out to achieve, they were…
- Full and fair representation
- Manhood suffrage
- No property qualification of members of the legislative council
- Payment of members
- Short duration of parliament
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Websites:
- Thompson.S. (2011). 1854 The Eureka Flag [internet]. Migration Heritage Center, NSW. avalible from: www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exibition/objectsthroughtime/1854-the-eureka-flag/
- Eurekapedia. (2014). Ballarat Reform League [internet]. available from: eurekapedia.org/Ballarat_Reform_League
Books:
- Blee.J. (2007). EUREKA, the story of Australia's most famous rebellion. Exile, NSW
Other:
- Notes from in class and my book.
By Elaina Smith
9 Purple
Websites:
- Thompson.S. (2011). 1854 The Eureka Flag [internet]. Migration Heritage Center, NSW. avalible from: www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exibition/objectsthroughtime/1854-the-eureka-flag/
- Eurekapedia. (2014). Ballarat Reform League [internet]. available from: eurekapedia.org/Ballarat_Reform_League
Books:
- Blee.J. (2007). EUREKA, the story of Australia's most famous rebellion. Exile, NSW
Other:
- Notes from in class and my book.
By Elaina Smith
9 Purple