Books for teaching history
It’s the Year of Reading and we’re celebrating by sharing our favourite books for teaching (or just enjoying) history! This post introduces Doug Bradby’s Seriously Weird History series.
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Category Archives: History Teaching
What caused the Eureka Stockade?
Students relive historical events and discover what caused the Eureka Stockade
The Eureka Stockade is a key event in Australia’s history and, arguably, the only civil battle on our soil. It is seen by most as a key step on our path towards democracy and nearly all Victorian students study the cause and effect of the Eureka Stockade in History lessons. There is a complex chronology of events that led to the storming of the Stockade, and these can be viewed in the global context of the Chartist movement. Understanding the context, motives and emotions involved can be difficult.
Here at Sovereign Hill we want to commemorate the event with students by allowing them to engage with this historical story in a meaningful, accessible and memorable way. Late last year we developed a participatory reenactment experience for the students on the eve of the 157th anniversary.
Household Arts of the 1850s: Laundry
Laundry in the 1850s
This will be the first in a series of posts about the Household Arts of the 1850s. If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, please leave a comment or contact us!
Student trying old washing methods at Sovereign Hill
Tools for doing the laundry in the 1850s
In the days before electricity and washing machines, doing the laundry was a time consuming and physically demanding job. During the early gold rush days new arrivals had to carry any washing tools they wanted all the way to the diggings. Consequently many diggers didn’t enjoy the luxury of properly washed clothes.
Posted in History Teaching, Victorian Gold Rush
Tagged 1850s lifestyles, books, Household Arts, women
Racism and taxes: life for the Chinese on the Goldfields
Chinese migrants played a very significant role on the Ballarat Goldfields, and elsewhere around Victoria, making up approximately 20% of all males in Ballarat. They were known for being hard-working and peaceful people, however their experience of the gold rush was marred by racism and discriminatory politics.
Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill, Victorian Gold Rush
Tagged 1850s people, Chinese, immigration, racism, teaching history, teaching resources
Christmas in the Colonies
Here at Sovereign Hill we are getting ready for Christmas with some colonial-style decorations, even our animals are getting into the spirit. Some photos are included below and you can see more on the Sovereign Hill Facebook page.
No plastic decorations or flashing lights in the 1850's.
Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill
Tagged Colonial Christmas, teaching history, Victorian celebrations
The Charter of the Ballarat Reform League 11/11
Today, 11/11/11, is an important day for many reasons. One of those being that it was on this day in 1854 that the Ballaarat Reform League was officially born and their Charter publically adopted. This group played a significant role in the events that became the precursors to the Eureka Stockade.
Often the League is forgotten in the wake of the much more dramatic Stockade, but their presence and intended purpose is very important. Those who formed the League took their inspiration from the British Chartist movement, which some had been directly involved in before coming to Victoria. The Chartist movement was a step by the new working-class, born out of the Industrial Revolution, to improve their rights and representation.
World history as local history
On Friday (28/10) we were fortunate to have Mr Craig Deayton as the speaker for our annual Weston Bate Lecture. Craig spoke about his research on the 47th battalion from the First World War undertaken for his book Battle Scarred. His research was an eight year labour to seek out stories beyond the official records and as a result his book has been acclaimed for its honesty and descriptive detail.
The 47th Battalion was formed in Egypt in March 1916 and made up of predominately Tasmanian and Queensland soldiers. The battalion served on the Western Front and holds the sad honour of being one of the shortest lived units with one of the highest fatality rates (only two other units were higher). Craig showed the image below to highlight this devastation, it shows the 73 remaining men from the original unit that numbered over 1000 men.
Remnants 47th Battalion (1914-1918) Hastiere, Belgique. AIF (Photo from the Australian War Memorial)
Representing and Commemorating History
Burke and Wills Memorial Fountain
Yesterday, Sovereign Hill, together with our project partners: City of Ballarat, Heritage Victoria, DEECD and the Royal Society of Victoria received a commendation at the Victorian Community History Awards for our project around the Burke and Wills Memorial Fountain in Ballarat. We were thrilled to receive the recognition for this collaborative project and would like to encourage schools to use this as a model to get involved with their local history.
Value of Local History
Often Local History is forgotten within the broader context of national history, but this need not be the case. This project, which centred around the research, retrieval and reinternment of a time capsule, shows that there are often strong links in local history to the national story. The connection between Ballarat, gold and the Burke and Wills expedition is very strong. There are many other examples around Victoria of local stories, identities and monuments connecting to our national history.
Studying local history with students can lead to students identifying more strongly with the material. It can often be more immediately relevant and offer more opportunities for active involvement.
Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill
Tagged Ballarat, burke and wills, local history, teaching history, teaching resources
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