Eureka Stockade
| “ | "We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties" | ” |
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—The Eureka Oath from Lalor's famous speech in 1854. |
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Lalor led the miners' opposition towards the incompetent and often brutal administration of the goldfields, and was elected to lead the men in the armed uprising after the meeting on Bakery Hill. The diggers formed a barricade, where they were attacked by troops and police on 3 December. Lalor's left arm was seriously wounded, resulting in its amputation. A warrant for Lalor's arrest for sedition was initially sought, but he was taken from Ballarat and hidden by his supporters in the Young Queen Hotel at South Geelong. The warrant was withdrawn in June 1855 after juries had found 13 other ringleaders not guilty of sedition.
As a result of the uprising a number of the miners' complaints were resolved. Legislation was passed to give miners the right to vote. A new form of licensing of Miners Rights costing £1 per year was introduced. The monthly gold tax was abolished. A general amnesty for the three miners arrested after the Bentley's Eureka Hotel fire and the 114 arrested at the Eureka Stockade was proclaimed.
Read more about this topic: Peter Lalor