John Joseph was an American gold miner and a leader of the 1854 Eureka Rebellion at

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

, Australia, during the Victorian gold rush. Joseph, an African-American, was the first of the leaders of the rebellion to be tried for high treason. The authorities selected Joseph to be tried first on the basis that a jury would have no problem convicting a black man. However, Joseph was quickly acquitted and was carried out of the court house and paraded in triumph around the streets of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

by 10,000 supporters. Fellow rebel Raffaello Carboni described Joseph as a "kind cheerful heart" with a "sober, plain, matter of fact, contented mind". Joseph died four years later and was buried at White Hills Cemetery at

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

. In February 2023, Joseph was honoured by the US Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, for his contribution to Australian history and exemplifying the US Government's "commitment to racial equity and recognising historical injustice".

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