 The Southern Tree of Liberty: The Democratic Movement in New South Wales Before 1856 by Terry Irving
Who would imagine that democracy in NSW was won through fierce political battles and street rallies The Southern Tree of Liberty sheds light on this turbulent and violent period in Australian history. For twenty years, the advocates of democracy mobilised the working class and fought hard to bring popular rule to the colony. The elites, on the other hand, used their legislative powers to halt this march towards liberty, most notably in the Constitution of 1853. There were many colourful characters involved in the push for self-government: Charles Harpur, the native-born poet who wrote The Tree of Liberty (A Song for the Future); Johann Lhotsky, the revolutionary who spent five years in an Austrian prison; Ben Sutherland, the English upholsterer who formed the first working-class political organisation and edited its newspaper; William A Duncan, the Scots Catholic who created a network of radical intellectuals; Henry Macdermott, the Irish-born friend of the people; and Edward J Hawksley, the radical journalist who was part of every democratic campaign from 1840.These characters and more are covered in Irvings engagingly written and thoroughly researched book. The Southern Tree of Liberty highlights the contribution of the democrats to public life and shows how their struggles made possible the democratic advances that followed after 1856.
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