Summary ActivityAfter the battle of Eureka, hundreds of diggers were arrested and
beaten. The troopers also attacked and killed innocent bystanders and burned down their tents. Newspapers reported these events and the public were outraged. The trial saw thirteen miners charged with trying to overthrow the government and sent to trial in Melbourne. However, the people were on their side. In February and March 1855, juries found the miners not guilty. The freed men paraded through the streets of Melbourne, cheered by thousands of people. Soon after, the reward for Peter Lalor's capture was withdrawn and and he was freed by the government. (Source: McMillian Publishers Australia) |
Why is it so important? |
Click below and identify the ways in which this event changed the way Victorians and therefore Australians saw themselves.
|
Impacts of the Eureka Stockade |
Click below and identify what political changes were brought about as a result of the Eureka Stockade.
|
The Eureka Stockade raises many questions about justice, law and order, and the rights and wrongs of people’s actions. Try the following activities to test your own ideas about these important subjects.
Who is right? The two sides in the Eureka Stockade had different ideas about laws and the importance of obeying them. Read the following opinions and have a discussion in class about who you think was right. |