1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello Again. I'm Eves and you're listening to 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,399 Speaker 1: this Day in History Class, a show where we dropped 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:24,319 Speaker 1: history knowledge every single day. Today is December three. The 5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: day was December three, eighteen fifty four. Gold miners seeking 6 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: reforms in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, rebelled against the colonial government. 7 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: The conflict led to the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, 8 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: which resulted in the death of at least twenty eight people. 9 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: The Victorian gold Rush began in Australia in eighteen fifty one. 10 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: It brought people seeking fortunes from all over Australia and 11 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: the world. As people flocked to the area and the 12 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: colonial government struggled to find the money to support them, 13 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: New South Wales Governor Charles Fitzroy and Victoria's Lieutenant Governor 14 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: Charles Latrobe imposed the license fee of thirty shillings a 15 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: month on miners. That was a hefty fee for miners, 16 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: especially when surface gold started to dwindle and gold production 17 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: for a person was decreasing. Miners expressed their concerns to Latrobe, 18 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: but not much was done about the miners protests. Police 19 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: set out on license hunts to find miners who did 20 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: not pay their fees, and miners claimed that police were 21 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 1: exploiting them by extorting money, beating people up, taking bribes, 22 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: and locking people up without due process. Many people were 23 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: unhappy with the way the police handled crimes on the 24 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: gold fields, claiming police and government officials had to be bribed. 25 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 1: Adding insult to injury was the fact that miners could 26 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: not vote or own the land that they were working on. 27 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: In October of eighteen fifty four, a Scottish miner named 28 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: James Scobie was killed in a conflict at the Eureka 29 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: Hotel in Ballarat. J. F. Bitley, the proprietor, was pegged 30 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: as the murderer. When Bentley was exonerated, miners felt it 31 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: was an injustice. A group of people gathered to protest 32 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: the decision, but a mob of miners ended up burning 33 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: down the hotel the police arrested them. An organization called 34 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: the Ballarat Reform League formed in response to the government's 35 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: in action on people's demands. It organized a meeting in 36 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: Ballarat on November eleventh, eighteen fifty four. The League advocated 37 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: for negotiations on the Bentley decision. As well as the 38 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: people arrested because of the fire, for abandonment of the 39 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: gold licensing system, for removal of the gold commissioners, and 40 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: for a better policing and justice system. But their grievances 41 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 1: were dismissed and more soldiers were sent to the gold 42 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: fields to back up the police and soldiers already present. 43 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: Dissenting miners held another mass meeting, elected Peter Lawler as 44 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: their leader and flew the Eureka flag. They swore to 45 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: fight together to defend their rights and liberties, and they 46 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: built a stock at Eureka, performing military drills to prepare 47 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: for any conflict. Robert Reid, commissioner of the Ballarat gold Fields, 48 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: ordered the police in army to destroy the stockade on 49 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 1: December three. Before dawn that day, troops stormed the stockade. 50 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: Miners failed quickly against the well armed force. At least 51 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: twenty two diggers and six soldiers died. Police detained around 52 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: a hundred and thirteen miners, and thirteen were eventually taken 53 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: to Melbourne for trial. All of the miners accused of 54 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: treason were acquitted within months. A Royal commission recommended removing 55 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: the license fee and adding an export duty and an 56 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: annual miner's right. The number of police on the gold 57 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: Fields was cut significantly and a warden replaced the gold commissioners. 58 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: Twelve new members were also added to the Victorian Legislative Council, 59 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: with four appointed by the Queen and eight elected by 60 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: diggers who had a miner's right. I'm each Deathcote and 61 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: how fully you know a little more about history today 62 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: than you do yesterday. If you'd like to follow us 63 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: on social media, you can do so at T D 64 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: i HC Podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or if 65 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: you would prefer to email us, you can send us 66 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 1: a message at this Day at I heart media dot com. 67 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. I hope to see you here again tomorrow. 68 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart 69 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 70 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: favorite shows.