- Bakery Hill Speech
Analyse the Bakery Hill Speech. Why was it so powerful in harnessing the cause for democracy ~By Eleni Thomas
"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 defense.
Now fall in comrades, and march behind our standard to the Eureka.” ~Peter Lalor , 30th of November, 1854
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 defense.
Now fall in comrades, and march behind our standard to the Eureka.” ~Peter Lalor , 30th of November, 1854
Definitions of key words within the Speech
Liberty -To be free, without any restrictions from the authority. To have basic civil rights and to have your own view of thinking.
Fellow Diggers –This is referring to the other minors on the Ballarat gold fields.
Southern Cross –Is a constellation of stars that only the Southern Hemisphere can see. The Southern cross was used in the Eureka flag because it was a way of showing England that they were spread ting themselves them as they constellation was unique to Australia it was a way of showing the English that they had cut all connections with them.
Oath – Is a pledge or statement taken by people that can be seen as a solemn promise, regarding the persons future actions or behaviours.In this case, the oath is for the end and women who wanted to stand together and fight the English for their own rights and liberties. The oath is for those who wanted to be apart of the upheaval that was the Eureka Rebellions.
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.
Coward at heart - To not have confidence in yourself and the cause. In the Eureka Rebellions, those who didn't have the courage to fight were labeled cowards at heart as they were not prepared to put themselves in harms way to help make a stand.
Defend- To fight for a certain right or purpose to stop others from changing it. The men apart of the Eureka Stockade defended their rights and liberties.
Liberty -To be free, without any restrictions from the authority. To have basic civil rights and to have your own view of thinking.
Fellow Diggers –This is referring to the other minors on the Ballarat gold fields.
Southern Cross –Is a constellation of stars that only the Southern Hemisphere can see. The Southern cross was used in the Eureka flag because it was a way of showing England that they were spread ting themselves them as they constellation was unique to Australia it was a way of showing the English that they had cut all connections with them.
Oath – Is a pledge or statement taken by people that can be seen as a solemn promise, regarding the persons future actions or behaviours.In this case, the oath is for the end and women who wanted to stand together and fight the English for their own rights and liberties. The oath is for those who wanted to be apart of the upheaval that was the Eureka Rebellions.
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.
Coward at heart - To not have confidence in yourself and the cause. In the Eureka Rebellions, those who didn't have the courage to fight were labeled cowards at heart as they were not prepared to put themselves in harms way to help make a stand.
Defend- To fight for a certain right or purpose to stop others from changing it. The men apart of the Eureka Stockade defended their rights and liberties.
Analysis of the Bakery Hill Speech
The Bakery Hill speech was very powerful and harnessed the cause for democracy in a very compelling manner. There were multiple aspects of the speech that stood out. These aspects vary from the rallying nature of the words in the speech to the person behind the speech, Peter Lalor, who was a very influential person during the Eureka Rebellions .
Peter Lalor, the man who stood up in front of everyone and spoke, was an activist in the Eureka Stockade and was one of the most important people in the Eureka rebellions. On the 29th of November, 1854, he stood in front of his fellow diggers and swore an oath of allegiance and delivered the speech that rocked the boat, the speech that gave people hope. The speech that gave people hope that ruling a country could be more than just a dictatorship, that the social structures of Australia could be more than an unfair hierarchy, that everyone could have a say in regards to what happens in Australia and who ultimately makes those decisions. This idea, that Peter Lalor discusses is Democracy. “Liberty!” This was the first word Lalor shouted in his attempt to rally the men and women of the goldfields. This one word described everything they were fighting for, everything they wanted. It was a very powerful word said by a very important activist, making the underlying issue hidden beneath that one word even more powerful. In his speech Lalor uses inclusive language as a way to make the audience feel like his equals, rather than making him appear as being their superior. This point is shown when he addresses the other miners as “fellow diggers” and “comrades”, creating a sense of comradely between him and his fellow diggers. His speech while spoken with authority is uniting and inspiring, and is very powerful. He successfully harnesses the idea of equal voting rights and the idea of everyone getting the opportunity to have a say. The Bakery Hill speech is a powerful example of how something as simple as standing in front of a community and using inclusive words such as “our” can help create a new way of governing a nation, a way that gives everyone the right to vote. The Bakery Hill Speech harnesses the cause for democracy in a powerful and compelling manner. |
References
Primary source: Bakery Hill Speech said by Peter Lalor on the 29th of November 1854
Primary source: Newspapaer of the meeting on Bakery Hill
Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.eurekaballarat.com/media/209241/eureka_circle_10051.pdf [Accessed 4 Sep. 2015].
Bakery Hill Speech. (2015). [online] Available at: http://dsmee.weebly.com/bakery-hill-speech.html [Accessed 7 Sep. 2015].
Eurekapedia.org, (2015). Peter Lalor - eurekapedia. [online] Available at: http://eurekapedia.org/Peter_Lalor [Accessed 9 Sep. 2015].
Remarkable Thinkers, (2013). Peter Lalor's Bakery Hill Speech. [online] Available at: https://flinders4five.wordpress.com/2013/.../peter-lalors-bakery-hill-speech/ [Accessed 12 Sep. 2015].
StPauls, A. (2015). Advocacy. [online] Advocacyatstpauls.blogspot.com. Available at: http://advocacyatstpauls.blogspot.com [Accessed 28 Aug. 2015].
Primary source: Bakery Hill Speech said by Peter Lalor on the 29th of November 1854
Primary source: Newspapaer of the meeting on Bakery Hill
Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.eurekaballarat.com/media/209241/eureka_circle_10051.pdf [Accessed 4 Sep. 2015].
Bakery Hill Speech. (2015). [online] Available at: http://dsmee.weebly.com/bakery-hill-speech.html [Accessed 7 Sep. 2015].
Eurekapedia.org, (2015). Peter Lalor - eurekapedia. [online] Available at: http://eurekapedia.org/Peter_Lalor [Accessed 9 Sep. 2015].
Remarkable Thinkers, (2013). Peter Lalor's Bakery Hill Speech. [online] Available at: https://flinders4five.wordpress.com/2013/.../peter-lalors-bakery-hill-speech/ [Accessed 12 Sep. 2015].
StPauls, A. (2015). Advocacy. [online] Advocacyatstpauls.blogspot.com. Available at: http://advocacyatstpauls.blogspot.com [Accessed 28 Aug. 2015].