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0:00:02 > 0:00:03- Australia.
0:00:03 > 0:00:08- For years, this is where - prisoners were sent from Britain.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13- Tens of thousands - were transported here.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16- Among them, - Welsh political protesters.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24- South Wales Valleys Chartists - and some of the Rebecca Rioters.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27- They were the protesters - who fought for a better world.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35- By sending them to Australia, it was - hoped the protesting would stop.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37- But that didn't happen.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- They continued to fight - for their rights.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45- Welshmen like John Frost - from Newport...
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- ..and Zephaniah Williams - from Nantyglo...
0:00:49 > 0:00:53- ..as well as 3,000 other - political prisoners in Australia.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- In this programme, the story of the - convicts from Wales and beyond...
0:01:02 > 0:01:06- ..who helped create one of the - world's first democratic countries.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22- In Australia, - a major change is about to happen.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28- Britain is in control here but - there's pressure for that to change.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35- Unexpectedly, the campaign - is driven by convicts.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38- When some leaders are transported...
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- ..you exiled something very potent.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45- But radical ideas - were taken there too.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50- They certainly played a part - in creating a new state.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56- Australia was a place - to transport prisoners.
0:01:56 > 0:02:02- After being released, some of them - remain and start a new life.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07- Others travel here to look for work - or to mine for gold.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12- For some, the dream - is to create a democratic country...
0:02:13 > 0:02:15- ..with fair conditions - for every worker.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18- For that to happen...
0:02:18 > 0:02:23- ..the practice of transporting - prisoners to Australia had to end.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29- One Welshman who leads the campaign - against transportation...
0:02:29 > 0:02:30- ..is John Frost.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35- In 1839, he and another Chartist, - Zephaniah Williams...
0:02:36 > 0:02:39- ..lead an army - of miners and steelworks...
0:02:39 > 0:02:41- ..to try and capture - the town of Newport.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47- In essence, Chartism - was a mass political movement.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53- It feeds into the huge problems - in industrial society...
0:02:54 > 0:02:56- ..created by industrialization.
0:02:56 > 0:03:02- It also drew upon long-held beliefs - on what was right.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07- Something moral about what - the relationship should be...
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- ..between the government - and ordinary people.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- Their aim is to force Britain - to leave South Wales.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21- The attempt fails.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25- Frost and Williams are transported - to Australia for life.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31- They're seen as - dangerous individuals in one way...
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- ..because they're sent - to Port Arthur.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43- The cruel conditions at Port Arthur - prison greatly affects John Frost.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- To try and draw attention - to the situation...
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- ..he starts writing letters.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- Benevolence - is scarcely known here...
0:03:55 > 0:04:00- ..but every kind of tyranny - imaginable practised with impunity.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07- This is a place - of the most remorseless barbarity.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- What men endure here - is incredible...
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- ..and I am not possessed - of language to describe it.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16- It is hell on earth.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- When they went to Australia...
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- ..keeping in touch with the radicals - at home was very important.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29- This was done - through exchanging letters.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- Come on, put your back into it!
0:04:36 > 0:04:41- John Frost's punishment for - writing the letters is hard labour.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- Get back to work!
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- After 14 years as prisoners...
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- ..he and the other Welshman, - Zephaniah Williams...
0:04:54 > 0:04:55- ..receive a full pardon.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- But there's a proviso - they are - banned from returning to Britain.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- My old friend, I will miss you.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10- I wish you'd stay, - this land is ripe with opportunity.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- The prejudice against us - is too great.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- No help will ever be extended - to a prisoner...
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- ..nor to one - who has been a prisoner...
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- ..no matter how noble his intention.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- But I do wish you luck - with your endeavours.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43- As a free man in Australia...
0:05:43 > 0:05:49- ..Zephaniah Williams returns to - a familiar occupation, coal mining.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- This is the one, Collins.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53- Let's peg the claim out.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58- Like many former convicts, - becomes a successful businessman.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- John Frost - decides to travel to America.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- There, he continues - to draw attention...
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- ..to the cruel conditions - in Australian prisons.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- New York, 1855
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- And the consequences - resulting from the Convict Code.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- The cursed laws of England...
0:06:20 > 0:06:25- ..have brought the colony to the - same wretched state as all others.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31- Under the system introduced - by Lord John Russell...
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- ..each probation station - has become a Gomorrah...
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- ..full of crime, misery - and disease.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- It must end.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45- It must end!
0:06:50 > 0:06:55- John Frost leaves Australia...
0:06:55 > 0:07:00- ..but it's still important to him to - talk about what he witnessed there.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- He hates the idea of transportation.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- He's seen how people have been hurt.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11- The way it destroyed people - who'd been imprisoned in Australia.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- The words he speaks in America - are written down.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- The speeches he gives - come back to Britain as well.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- It's obvious - he was more successful in America...
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- ..in terms of what he said - and how he said it.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- This was brought back to Britain - too.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41- The year 1848 is known - as the Spring of Nations.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43- Across Europe...
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- ..workers rebel against - their masters and government.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- One crucial event is the year 1848.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58- The year of revolution in Europe - started in Paris.
0:07:58 > 0:08:04- This had a profound effect - on Chartism in Britain...
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- ..and on the Young Irelanders - in Ireland.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10- It was a catalyst for both.
0:08:15 > 0:08:25- During this period, many want a more - democratic society to be created.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30- Not just in Ireland - but across the whole of Europe.
0:08:30 > 0:08:39- The old system was corrupt - and a new system was needed.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- But a tragedy hits Ireland - - the Great Famine.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- Millions die - or are forced to flee the country.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54- Hardly any aid - is given by the British government.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- There's a call for a revolution.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03- A new movement is founded that - would change Irish history forever.
0:09:03 > 0:09:03- .
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0:09:13 > 0:09:15- In 1848...
0:09:16 > 0:09:20- ..people across Europe - rebel against their masters.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25- A year that is now known - as the Spring of Nations.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30- In Ireland, - a new movement is founded...
0:09:30 > 0:09:34- ..to fight for independence - from Britain.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38- The Young Irelanders...
0:09:39 > 0:09:44- ..were people who were aware of - a new dawn among European nations.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47- They saw Ireland - as part of that movement.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- One of their leaders is the MP, - William Smith O'Brien.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- He was - from a Protestant background...
0:09:58 > 0:10:03- ..who, at the same time, argued - in favour of rights for Catholics.
0:10:03 > 0:10:09- He was educated in public schools - in England.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14- Yet, he argued in favour - of the Irish language.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- This was a man - from a comfortable background...
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- ..who started a rebellion.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- He was therefore a world away...
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- ..from what you'd expect - an Irish nationalist to be.
0:10:41 > 0:10:47- In 1845, Ireland's potato crop - is destroyed by disease.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- The same happens the following year.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55- Hundreds of thousands of Irish - people die of famine and illness.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- Seeing the British government - do hardly anything...
0:11:03 > 0:11:05- ..O'Brien is angered.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- Is there any sense in this?
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- Look around you.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23- No-one can stand aside - while people are dying around us.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28- Our harvest is leaving our country - while men, women and children die.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Though the disease is God's curse...
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- ..it's the English - who've given us the famine.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38- O'Brien is radicalized - by the potato famine.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43- He sees this as the end of English - legitimacy in governing Ireland.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48- We can't let people die.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59- 8 million people - lived in Ireland at the time.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- Over a million and a half died - because of the famine...
0:12:03 > 0:12:07- ..and another million - left Ireland.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12- At the same time, food - was still being exported to England.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- The country was on its knees.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- Poverty, death - and famine everywhere.
0:12:19 > 0:12:36- For Young Irelanders - the talking - had to stop, it was time to act.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- I do not profess disloyalty - to the Queen of England...
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- ..but it shall be the study - of my life...
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- ..to overthrow the dominion - of this parliament over Ireland.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- I would gladly accept - the most ignominious death...
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- ..rather than witness the sufferings - and the indignities...
0:13:00 > 0:13:04- ..inflicted by this legislature - upon my countrymen...
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- ..during the last 30 years.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14- The Young Irelanders' armed struggle - begins.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22- In Tipperary, William Smith O'Brien - and his followers...
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- ..corner a group of constables - in a farmhouse.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- The children! The children!
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- The owner of the house, - Mrs McCormack, manages to escape.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- But her children - are still in the house.
0:13:40 > 0:13:47- The truth is, because he was - such a noble and brave man...
0:13:47 > 0:13:52- ..he didn't want - to see anyone get hurt.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55- Hold your fire.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00- Who's in charge here?
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- Who's in charge?
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- Captain, no-one wants - this day to end in bloodshed.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- We are all Irishmen here, - are we not?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- Release the children, give up your - guns and you are free to leave.
0:14:14 > 0:14:15- You have my word.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Very well, sir.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46- It's always depicted - in British terms...
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- ..as a means of demeaning - the Young Irelanders...
0:14:49 > 0:14:55- ..that this was the battle - of Mrs McCormack's cabbage patch...
0:14:56 > 0:15:01- ..but in fact it was - a serious enough uprising...
0:15:01 > 0:15:05- ..that everyone was looking - for William Smith O'Brien.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- The Young Irelanders flee.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17- Some manage to escape to France.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- But O'Brien is a prominent figure - and is caught.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- William Smith O'Brien, - I'm arresting you for high treason.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38- He's sentenced to death - for his part in the rebellion.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47- The court finds him guilty - and he faces a ghastly punishment.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52- To be half-hanged then quartered.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57- Angered, the Irish people - raise their voice.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- There are vehement protests - against the sentence.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- The British authorities - commute the sentence...
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- ..and O'Brien - is transported to Australia.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18- After reaching the colony, O'Brien - and the other Young Irelanders...
0:16:18 > 0:16:24- ..are offered some freedom as long - as they stay within specific areas.
0:16:25 > 0:16:32- He was offered more freedom - than the other prisoners...
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- ..if he promised not to escape.
0:16:36 > 0:16:43- He refused. As a proud Irishman, - it was his duty to try and escape.
0:16:43 > 0:16:49- Back home, stories like this - made him a hero.
0:16:49 > 0:16:56- This was a man who sacrificed - a comfortable life for his country.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02- Maria Island, 1849
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- O'Brien continues - to cause problems...
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- ..so he's sent to a remote island, - Maria Island.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14- But even here, he causes trouble - for the authorities.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32- Some of his supporters arrange for - him to escape on a merchant ship...
0:17:32 > 0:17:37- ..as he's seen as a central figure - in the fight for independence.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51- But in a cruel twist, the ship has - to turn back before reaching land.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- The authorities - had learnt of the plan.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- We have to remember that by then...
0:18:14 > 0:18:18- ..these men - were famous in Europe and the US.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- William Smith O'Brien - was the Mandela of his age.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- He's sent to Port Arthur.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- It's one of the most terrifying - prisons in the British Empire.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37- Wild dogs guard the entrance - and the regime is strict and cruel.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42- O'Brien is put in a small cottage - alone.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47- No solider, officer or prisoner - is allowed to speak to him.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- Death must be terrible indeed.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- If it be not preferable - to such a life that I have lead...
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- ..since I left - the shores of Ireland.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- Port Arthur is a spot which has - witnessed more of human suffering...
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- ..than almost any spot - of equal size on the globe.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- The convicts are not human.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13- Their training in crime - has made them subterhuman.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15- Preterhuman.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- And the system - of British reformatory discipline...
0:19:19 > 0:19:23- ..has gone as near to making them - perfect fiends as human wit can go.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29- So O'Brien became a thorn in - the side of the British government.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34- He used his period of imprisonment - to make connection...
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- ..with the anti-transportation - movement...
0:19:37 > 0:19:41- ..and became a kind of pivotal part - of their campaign.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- O'Brien's health deteriorates.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- Eventually, - the campaign to free him succeeds.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- He becomes a popular figure...
0:19:51 > 0:19:55- ..and meets other - important individuals.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- People like - Captain Michael Fenton...
0:19:58 > 0:20:03- ..who also disagrees - with the practice of transportation.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- Goodnight, Mrs Fenton. Thank you.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13- I see great opportunities - for the future of this colony.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- Opportunities that were not afforded - to the people of Ireland.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23- However, you must demand political - liberty and self-governance.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- It will not be given easily.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26- It will not be given easily.- - I agree.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28- To liberty.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- So we did harbour - the most distinguished...
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- ..of political prisoners in our day.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43- During his time - in Van Diemen's Land in the 1850s...
0:20:43 > 0:20:49- ..William Smith O'Brien - wrote a constitution for Tasmania.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55- And when Tasmania got its - constitution as a sovereign state...
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- ..in the mid-1850s, he said...
0:20:58 > 0:21:04- .."If Ireland had this document, - we could live peaceably."
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- But the story of men like William - Smith O'Brien is an exception.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19- For most of the 165,000 - men, women and children...
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- ..who were transported to Australia, - life was hard and cruel.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- Most couldn't read or write.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- Their stories would never be told.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36- But this wasn't the case - for two rebels from Wales.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41- The colourful story of Shoni - Sgubor Fawr and Dai'r Cantwr...
0:21:42 > 0:21:44- ..has survived to the present day.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- There's this idea - in Welsh history...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- ..that rural areas were peaceful...
0:21:52 > 0:21:56- ..non-violent and crime-free.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- But, at the time, - rural Wales was full of crime...
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- ..full of hardship - and full of protest.
0:22:13 > 0:22:13- .
0:22:19 > 0:22:19- Subtitles
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:22:21 > 0:22:27- It's the mid-19th century and Great - Britain is a place full of unrest.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32- Armed groups - fight for independence in Ireland...
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- ..and workers in the - industrial towns of South Wales...
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- ..raise arms - against the authorities.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- People are trying - to change the system.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- The violence in the industrial areas - was about work conditions.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53- We can't overemphasize - how hopeless things looked...
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- ..for people - who expected their world to improve.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01- But there were radical ideas - such as that every man and woman...
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- ..had a right to live - in a free society and to be equal.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- People had the right - to expect better.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14- There's discontent beyond - the South Wales towns and valleys.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- In the 1830s...
0:23:17 > 0:23:23- ..something that became a symbol - of how people were oppressed...
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- ..were the tollgates.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30- The spark that lit the fuse...
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- ..was privatizing the roads...
0:23:33 > 0:23:34- ..in rural Wales...
0:23:35 > 0:23:39- ..with private companies - erecting gates on roads...
0:23:39 > 0:23:43- ..then charging money - for travelling through them.
0:23:43 > 0:23:49- That's what gave rise - to the Rebecca protest movement.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- Rural Wales, 1843
0:23:53 > 0:23:57- Once again in Wales, - protesters turn to violence.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- Merched Beca - was a secretive movement.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- In the darkness of the night - and dressed in women's clothes...
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- ..they target tollgates - across Wales.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35- Merched Beca's fight - was different...
0:24:35 > 0:24:40- ..in that it was - against material hardship.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- They were being further punished...
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- ..by being forced to take - their produce to the market...
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- ..along the only road - it was possible to take.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54- The tollgates were a symbol...
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- ..of the oppression - of the class which oppressed them.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- However, it was a matter of pennies.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05- One journalist had a catchy line...
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- ..to describe what Beca was.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- "Beca is poverty."
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- After attacking a tollgate - in Pontyberem in 1843...
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- ..Shoni Sgubor Fawr - and Dai'r Cantwr...
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- ..or John Jones and David Davies, - are arrested.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- The two - are very different to each other.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- Shoni, a boxer from Merthyr...
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- ..and Dai'r Cantwr, - a lay preacher from Glamorgan...
0:25:40 > 0:25:42- ..and a renowned balladeer.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- After being transported - to Australia...
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- ..Dai writes a ballad - that causes quite a stir.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54- # Oh, fit men of Wales, - hear my song now please
0:25:55 > 0:25:59- # I have been sent - across many oceans and seas
0:25:59 > 0:26:04- # To spend twenty years, - it is a severe blow
0:26:04 > 0:26:09- # I'm far away amongst strangers - in the land of the black negro
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- # I fell into the law's hands - - oh, monstrous humankind
0:26:16 > 0:26:21- # Woe the hour I was born - and gained a soul and a mind
0:26:21 > 0:26:26- # To be transported - over oceans and seas untold
0:26:26 > 0:26:32- # To be one of the slaves - in the land of the black negro #
0:26:35 > 0:26:40- The treatment Shoni Sgubor Fawr - and Dai'r Cantwr receive...
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- ..is more in common - with the life of transported people.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46- It's very hard.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51- They were put in gangs - to work in stone quarries and so on.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56- There was so much violence, - with whipping and so on.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- They were treated...
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- ..as to brutalize them in a way.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- It was savage.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- Shoni's behaviour in the prison - is disgraceful.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- He's the worst prisoner - in the history of Australia.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- He refuses to work, - attacks officers...
0:27:25 > 0:27:28- ..and demands food and drink.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38- For the authorities, he's a bad man.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43- But for others, he's a brave man - who demands his rights.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54- Once people like Dai'r Cantwr - and Shoni Sgubor Fawr...
0:27:54 > 0:27:56- ..went to Australia...
0:27:56 > 0:28:00- ..what became apparent - was their social background...
0:28:00 > 0:28:04- ..was key - to the way they were treated.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13- If we look at their time - in Australia...
0:28:13 > 0:28:19- ..they had low-regarded, - low-status jobs.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24- Both constantly had run-ins - with the law.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30- Shoni Sgubor Fawr, especially, - often got drunk and got into fights.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35- He was an aggressive individual - - unpleasant to be honest.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39- Their experiences...
0:28:39 > 0:28:44- ..reflected their lack - of social and cultural resources.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49- One of the things - we're starting to understand...
0:28:49 > 0:28:54- ..is that convict Australia was - much more political than we thought.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57- The way the convict system - was organized...
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- ..it was designed - to atomize the workers...
0:29:01 > 0:29:03- ..so you couldn't see - collective action.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08- Their punishments were recorded - on individual charge sheets.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- It's only in a computer age - when we extract the contents...
0:29:12 > 0:29:15- ..of each charge sheet - and line up the dates...
0:29:16 > 0:29:18- ..in which the offences occurred...
0:29:18 > 0:29:21- ..we see - how many strikes there were...
0:29:21 > 0:29:25- ..how many times convicts refused - to eat, downed their tools...
0:29:26 > 0:29:27- ..ran away en masse.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33- There was a day-to-day political - reaction against transportation.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39- Shoni continues to fight the system.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42- I want food!
0:29:46 > 0:29:48- I want food!
0:29:48 > 0:29:51- He's whipped - over a thousand times.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57- After 14 years as a prisoner, - he's freed...
0:29:57 > 0:30:00- ..and decides to stay - in Australia.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02- Dai'r Cantwr chooses to stay too.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06- Like many former convicts, - he turns to drink.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11- To earn some kind of living, - he starts singing in pubs.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17- # Poor Tom Brown from Nottingham
0:30:18 > 0:30:21- # Jack Williams, and poor Joe
0:30:23 > 0:30:27- # Were three gallant poacher boys
0:30:27 > 0:30:30- # Their country all does know #
0:30:33 > 0:30:36- But there's a glimmer of hope - for Dai and Shoni.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41- Zephaniah Williams' coal mines - are going from strength to strength.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46- By 1854, he's established - a successful coal mine.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49- "My dear Joan...
0:30:49 > 0:30:53- "..the climate here is among - the healthiest in the world.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55- "There's little sickness here.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01- "When you come here, - kind and welcoming people await you.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05- "If you know of farmers from Wales - who'd like to emigrate here...
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- "..tell them I'm willing - to prepare the land for them."
0:31:11 > 0:31:15- Zephaniah Williams - was an interesting man.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20- Many commentators at the time - said that he was very intelligent.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22- He also had many skills.
0:31:22 > 0:31:28- He'd trained as a geologist and - as a coal mine inspector and so on.
0:31:29 > 0:31:34- So he was in a position - to benefit from these skills...
0:31:34 > 0:31:37- ..when he went over to Tasmania.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42- What's before you has resulted from - a very long battle.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45- I've struck coal.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49- Nobody's had such a sweet victory - against their enemies.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52- What Zephaniah does...
0:31:53 > 0:31:59- ..when he discovers this rich seam - of coal in Tasmania...
0:31:59 > 0:32:03- ..is call on workers from Wales - to come out to him.
0:32:03 > 0:32:09- So he's also a kind of - Welsh emigration facilitator too.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- Williams takes care - of the two Welshmen...
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- ..Dai'r Cantwr - and Shoni Sgubor Fawr.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19- Dai Cantwr.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23- Welcome to Latrobe - - a small corner of Wales in Tasmania.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27- I hope you'll feel at home here.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28- I hope you'll feel at home here.- - Dai!
0:32:35 > 0:32:38- Because - of his successful business...
0:32:38 > 0:32:42- ..Zephaniah Williams - is remembered as the King of Coal.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46- He dies a very rich man aged 79.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48- In due course...
0:32:48 > 0:32:52- ..his grandson would be - a Member of Parliament for 23 years.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00- The story of the Chartist, - Zephaniah Williams...
0:33:01 > 0:33:04- ..proves that there was - a better life in Australia.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08- It's also proof for former convicts - in the colony...
0:33:08 > 0:33:10- ..that success was possible.
0:33:10 > 0:33:16- Back home in Britain, conditions - remain difficult for the Chartists.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22- William Cuffay is the son - of an ex-slave from the Caribbean.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25- He's a tailor and a trade unionist.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31- A talented and honest man...
0:33:31 > 0:33:35- ..he becomes a prominent figure - among the Chartists.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- William Cuffay - is a very interesting personality...
0:33:42 > 0:33:47- ..who not only had a difficult life - in terms of poverty...
0:33:47 > 0:33:49- ..but also racism.
0:33:49 > 0:33:55- In 1848, he organizes the biggest - march in the history of Chartism...
0:33:55 > 0:33:58- ..on Kennington Common in London.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03- The Chartists attempt to ensure - that the march is a peaceful one.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05- The government is sceptical.
0:34:05 > 0:34:11- The army and police are sent in - and Queen Victoria flees London.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17- Thousands of Chartists - gathered on Kennington Common.
0:34:18 > 0:34:24- The feeling in that meeting was - they could march on Parliament...
0:34:24 > 0:34:28- ..and force them - to implement the Charter.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35- The Chartists present a petition - signed by two million people...
0:34:35 > 0:34:39- ..demanding that the government - establish the Charter...
0:34:39 > 0:34:41- ..but it's rejected.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- Somehow, the opportunity was lost. - Nothing was done.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50- Kennington Common - can be seen as the final moment...
0:34:50 > 0:34:55- ..that physical radicalism - could have been implemented...
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- ..and, possibly, succeeded.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01- Rejecting the petition - angers people.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05- Cuffay and his supporters - hold secret meetings...
0:35:05 > 0:35:09- ..but the government - is watching them carefully.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- Every good act - is set aside in Parliament.
0:35:16 > 0:35:22- Everything that's likely to do good - to the working class is thrown out.
0:35:22 > 0:35:28- But a law to restrain our liberties, - well, that's passed in a few hours.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33- My friends, - the time has now come for action.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39- They're determined to put a stop - to Cuffay and the Chartists.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- Cuffay, I'm arresting you - for making war against the Crown.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46- You got a warrant?
0:35:46 > 0:35:48- You got a warrant?- - I don't need one. Grab him, lads.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- What have we got here - primed and loaded?
0:35:58 > 0:36:01- You're a dangerous little man, - Mr Cuffay. Take him away.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12- We find the defendant guilty.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- Shame! Shame!
0:36:28 > 0:36:29- Order!
0:36:30 > 0:36:32- Cuffay is sentenced...
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- ..and is transported from Britain - for life.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42- What is surprising - is this man who is clearly seen...
0:36:42 > 0:36:47- ..as treasonous and seditious, - a danger as a radical...
0:36:47 > 0:36:53- ..rises to prominence - in the radical movement in Tasmania.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00- In Tasmania, he continues - with his political activities.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04- He continues - to campaign for more rights...
0:37:04 > 0:37:10- ..and against the laws that - enslaved workers to their masters.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15- They weren't allowed - to move and sell their labour...
0:37:15 > 0:37:18- ..to whoever they wanted.
0:37:18 > 0:37:24- They were slaves - the Master - and Servant Act, as it was called.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26- The Master and Servant Act...
0:37:26 > 0:37:31- ..reminded people of the bad days - back home in Britain.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36- Employers could sack workers - without any warning.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41- On the other hand, workers have to - get their employer's permission...
0:37:42 > 0:37:44- ..before leaving their jobs.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47- There's a strong feeling - of inequality.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- At the Theatre Royal in Hobart...
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- ..Cuffay uses - his public speaking skills...
0:37:54 > 0:37:57- ..in a passionate speech - against the act.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07- Now then, Bill, - this here's an important one.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10- Let's hear it one more time, eh?
0:38:14 > 0:38:16- Fellow slaves.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- I am old. I am tired.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24- And I am out of work.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27- I have reason to complain.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39- The working classes of this colony - have amongst their body...
0:38:40 > 0:38:46- ..many intelligent men with minds - capable of the highest acquisitions.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- Unless they have - the moral courage...
0:38:51 > 0:38:55- ..the manliness - and the determination...
0:38:56 > 0:39:02- ..to rise up against a measure which - will forge the fetters of tyranny...
0:39:02 > 0:39:06- ..and injustice - upon their liberty...
0:39:06 > 0:39:09- ..then I say - they deserve to be enslaved.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18- On the other side of the world, - the Chartists' voice gets stronger.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23- The old British regime is being - challenged from all directions.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27- After a long campaign, the practice - of transporting criminals...
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- ..comes to an end.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34- On the last ship - to reach Australia in 1867...
0:39:35 > 0:39:37- ..are rebellious Irishmen....
0:39:38 > 0:39:42- ..who bring with them a weapon - that changes the country forever.
0:39:42 > 0:39:42- .
0:39:47 > 0:39:47- Subtitles
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:39:51 > 0:39:57- In 1867, the last ship - carrying convicts reaches Australia.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04- On board the Hougoumont - are 68 members of the Fenians.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08- The Fenians received money - from the United States...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- ..from Irish people - who supported independence.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15- In 1867, they launch - a series of attacks in Ireland...
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- ..and on the British mainland.
0:40:21 > 0:40:26- The idea was that the Fenians - in England would attack Chester...
0:40:26 > 0:40:29- ..where there was a weapons storage.
0:40:29 > 0:40:35- They would then seize the railway - from Chester to Holyhead...
0:40:35 > 0:40:39- ..before hijacking the ferry - to reach Dublin...
0:40:39 > 0:40:42- ..and start a rebellion.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47- If this movement was a failure, - at least it was ambitious.
0:40:48 > 0:40:49- Among the Fenians...
0:40:50 > 0:40:53- ..is a barrister from Dublin, - John Flood...
0:40:53 > 0:40:58- ..arrested for his part in launching - an armed raid on Chester Castle.
0:40:59 > 0:41:07- On the boat, he founds a newspaper, - The Wild Goose.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10- He publishes seven editions.
0:41:10 > 0:41:17- They were read by the others, - and inspired the convicts.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22- Gentlemen, can I have your opinion - on my latest editorial?
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- This great continent of the south...
0:41:25 > 0:41:29- ..having been discovered by - some Dutch skipper and his crew...
0:41:29 > 0:41:34- ..between the first and the ninth - century of the Christian era...
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- ..was taken possession of - by Great Britain...
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- ..in accordance - with that equitable maxim...
0:41:41 > 0:41:44- .."What's yours is mine, - what's mine is my own."
0:41:44 > 0:41:46- That magnanimous government...
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- ..in the kindly exuberance - of their feelings...
0:41:50 > 0:41:55- ..have placed a large portion - of Australia at our disposal.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59- Generously defraying all expense - incurred on our way to it...
0:42:00 > 0:42:02- ..and providing retreats for us...
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- ..to secure us - from the inclemency of the seasons.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13- What you have to say of - the Irish people of that period...
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- ..they could deliver a jeremiad...
0:42:16 > 0:42:19- ..a condemnation - from the mountain top.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24- If they'd had artillery like that, - they would have won all the battles.
0:42:24 > 0:42:30- But they could sweep the field - with their contempt and oratory.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34- Sometimes, I think - they spent too long thinking...
0:42:35 > 0:42:39- ..that because they had - the best words and images...
0:42:39 > 0:42:41- ..they'd actually won the battle.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46- Whereas in fact, the good - old practical British government...
0:42:46 > 0:42:51- ..knew otherwise - - that it is the hardware of war...
0:42:51 > 0:42:56- ..and the possession of real estate - that brings you the victory.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04- In the prison, Flood is put to work - as a surveyor...
0:43:04 > 0:43:06- ..to develop the new colony.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09- He's a good prisoner...
0:43:09 > 0:43:13- ..and can spot the opportunities - for Irish people in Australia.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16- In 1871, he wins his freedom.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23- He moves to Sydney.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28- There, he founds a newspaper - called The Irish Citizen...
0:43:28 > 0:43:33- ..to try and appeal to the many - Irish people living in the city.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- The next step for John Flood - is Queensland.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41- There, he becomes the editor - and owner of The Gympie Times.
0:43:41 > 0:43:46- For the first time, Australia hears - the ideas of the political exiles...
0:43:46 > 0:43:48- ..through a popular medium.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54- The press was the crucial medium - in the history of radicalism...
0:43:54 > 0:43:58- ..and the history of politics - in the 19th century.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02- Producing a newspaper was crucial...
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- ..to the existence - of any kind of political movement.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10- Political and social change - requires a change of the heart...
0:44:10 > 0:44:13- ..as well as a change in the mind.
0:44:13 > 0:44:17- And these are both done - through media and culture.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21- It's one thing - to have battles and revolutions...
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- ..but you need - to change the way people think...
0:44:25 > 0:44:27- ..or show them possibilities.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32- Now, the convicts' radical ideas...
0:44:32 > 0:44:36- ..were being discussed openly - and on a large scale.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39- Those who'd been transported - brought with them...
0:44:40 > 0:44:42- ..liberal, republican ideas...
0:44:43 > 0:44:47- ..and supported trade unions - and workers' rights.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51- Ideas that reached Australia - on convict ships.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56- Australian democracy was achieved - through the Liberal Reform Movement.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00- It was once considered - a radical, dangerous idea...
0:45:00 > 0:45:05- ..that political prisoners - of the 19th and late 18th century...
0:45:05 > 0:45:06- ..suffered for.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10- In remembering - the political prisoners...
0:45:10 > 0:45:14- ..we're acknowledging the - true foundations of our democracy.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19- Not just those individuals, but the - movements that they were a part of.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- When William Cuffay died in 1870...
0:45:30 > 0:45:36- ..he was lauded in newspapers - across Australia and the world.
0:45:36 > 0:45:41- Cuffay lives to see - British soldiers leave Australia.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45- He sees the introduction - of an eight-hour working day...
0:45:45 > 0:45:48- ..and basic rights - that he fought for.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52- In England, - they had to wait until 1918...
0:45:52 > 0:45:57- ..after the First World War, - for similar rights to be introduced.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01- Rights that would allow a man - like Cuffay and other workers...
0:46:01 > 0:46:02- ..to vote.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06- In Australia's case...
0:46:06 > 0:46:10- ..even though most of them - didn't campaign...
0:46:10 > 0:46:13- ..like they did - in Britain or Wales...
0:46:14 > 0:46:20- ..Australia develops to a degree - as a working man's paradise...
0:46:20 > 0:46:25- ..with far better living and - working conditions than in Wales.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33- Many see Australia - as the first democratic country...
0:46:33 > 0:46:35- ..in the modern age.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39- A country established - on the principles of those...
0:46:39 > 0:46:42- ..who'd been convicts in Australia.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50- But not everyone - experiences democracy.
0:46:50 > 0:46:56- Australia's new constitution in 1901 - didn't recognize the aborigines...
0:46:56 > 0:46:59- ..nor the people - of the Torres Strait Islands.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02- It's still the case 114 years later.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49- S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.
0:47:49 > 0:47:49