John Joseph (rebel)

Biography

John Joseph or John Josephs was a gold miner who participated in the battle of the Eureka Stockade in 1854. An African American expatriate, little is known about Joseph's background. He arrived in Ballarat several days before the battle, and was in the front lines as the soldiers stormed the Eureka Stockade. The miners were quickly subdued and over a hundred were arrested. 13 were singled out for trial. Joseph was the first to be tried. As a Black person, the prosecution likely believed that he would be easy to convict, but the jury acquitted him after half an hour, as were the other 12.

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