Syd History Magazine
Issue III January 2016
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EDITORS’ NOTE
A er two very successful history magazines, we are proud to present our third edi on of the Sydenham High School History Magazine. With previous topics having been on the subject of ‘war heroes’ and the rather controversial ‘counterfactuals’, our chosen topic is now ‘rebels’.
The general defini on of a ‘rebel’ is a ‘person who rises in opposi on or armed resistance against an established government or leader’ and throughout history, many different groups who opposed their governments have been referred to as such.
However, we asked girls throughout the year groups to consider rebels who may have gone beyond this defini on. We requested them to write about famous rebels who not only rose against the establishment under which they lived, but whose rebellion also changed the course of history and may even have in‐ spired students’ own lives. Ar cles range from rebels such as Nelson Mandela, the South‐African an ‐ apartheid revolu onary and Emily Davison campaigning for women’s rights, to the legendary Boudicca who led the uprising against Roman forces and modern day teen hero Malala.
A huge thank you to the girls who submi ed their ar cles ‐ we are en rely thankful to everyone and were disappointed that we could not include them all. We would also like to thank Dr Wallace, without whom we would not have been able to produce this magazine.
We hope you enjoy reading the following ar cles on famous rebels and that they prompt you to think about the game changers of history!
Emmanuelle Chaloner and Nicole Caron‐Delion Year 13 History Magazine editors
CONTENTS Page 4
Boudicca ‐ Amelia English, Year 8
Page 5
William Wallace ‐ Alannah Bresnihan, Year 8
Page 6
Harriet Tubman ‐ Zehra Sami, Year 9
Page 7
Emily Davison ‐ Bethany Hansford, Year 9
Page 8
Constance Markiewicz ‐ Nina Ma nson, Year 8
Page 9
Adolf Hitler ‐ Rose Chaloner, Year 8
Page 10
Rosa Luxemburg ‐ Sophie Ellison, Year 8
Page 11
Mohandas Gandhi ‐ Elizave a Michael, Year 12
Page 12
Nelson Mandela ‐ Lara Edwards‐Viloria, Year 7
Page 13
Malala Yousafzai ‐ Joelle Bello, Year 9 3
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that before the ba le Boudicca gave one powerful speech to her forces in which she said: “you will win this ba le, or die. That is what I, a woman, plan to do! Let the men live in slavery if they will.” At the end of the speech the Britons let out a great shout and called on their gods to support them. However there were way too many Bri sh warriors crowded into the valley. They were packed so ghtly that they couldn't use their swords. Thousands of Bou‐ dicca’s warriors were killed. Boudicca’s army was defeated and the Bri sh uprising against the Ro‐ mans had been destroyed. It is said that Boudicca did not die on the ba lefield but of poison and so Boudicca did her daughters. She thought that it would be be er to die quickly than to have a horrible long The famous warrior leader was part of a tribe called painful death and be treated badly. Iceni and was actually their leader when the Ro‐ mans conquered southern England in AD 43. How‐ By Amelia English, Year 8 ever when Boudicca’s husband, Prasutagus, died the Romans decided to overpower the Iceni tribe but as Boudicca was a strong female leader she wouldn’t let this happen. Boudicca was furious when the Romans had gone too far by a acking her and her daughters and decided that she would make them pay dearly for their terrible ac on. Just beyond the southern borders of the Iceni tribe lay the Roman town of Camulodunum (modern‐day Colchester). It served as the capital of the Roman government in Britain. Boudicca wanted to go there as the soldiers who had a acked her were there. Meanwhile, unaware that Boudicca was raising a rebellion Paulinus was far away a acking the island of Mona in Northern Wales. Led by their warrior queen , her huge army poured out into the Camulo‐ dunum. Some of the people shut themselves into the temple. They managed to hold out for two days, but no help came. Boudicca's army overran the temple and all were killed. When Roman commander Paulinus came to face her he chose his site for ba le very carefully. He and his army posi oned themselves at the top of a steep slope at the end of the valley, giving them a much be er posi on. The chronicler Tacitus tells us 4
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John Comyn came to terms with the English as well. William was excluded from these terms and the English king offered lots of money to anyone who killed or captured William.
William Wallace William Wallace was born in the 1270s in Elderslie, Scotland. William was a rebel because he led the Sco sh rebellion against Edward I and forced a fa‐ mous defeat on the English army. He is remem‐ bered as a hero.
William was captured in Glasgow in August 1305 and taken to London. He was charged and tried with treason, which he denied, saying he had never sworn allegiance to the English king. His execu on was held on 23 August, where he was hung, drawn and quartered. His head was placed on London Bridge, and his limbs shown in Newcastle, Berwick, S rling and Perth. In conclusion I believe that William Wallace is a great rebel. I think this because he was brave a right to stand up to Edward’s invasion of Scotland. By Alannah Bresnihan, Year 8
In 1296, Edward I had taken advantage of a succes‐ sion crisis in Scotland and made himself ruler. With‐ in months, Scotland was depressed everywhere In May 1297, William Wallace a acked a town called Lanark in Southern Scotland, killing the Eng‐ lish sheriff. Many men joined William and he began to drive the English out of Scotland. Then, in Sep‐ tember 1297, William defeated a much larger Eng‐ lish force at the Ba le of S rling Bridge. In late 1297 or early 1298 William was chosen to be 'guardian of the kingdom' in the name of John Balliol, the king of Scotland. Later on Edward I found out about what William was doing so he marched north with an army. Wil‐ liam’s plan was to avoid any more war and gradually stop. He destroyed the countryside as he retreated, forcing Edward to march deeper and deeper into Scotland. In July 1298, the Sco sh and English ar‐ mies met near Falkirk, and Scotland was defeated. William escaped and quit his job as the guardian. William went to France to look for someone who would support Scotland. He returned to Scotland in 1303. When he was gone a man called Robert Bruce had accepted a truce with Edward I and in 1304 5
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secret routes and safe houses that would allow the slaves to have liberty, organised by Harriet. Harriet became the most wanted slave with a huge price on her head and she collaborated with other aboli on‐ ists across America in order to achieve her goal. Over 700 people were saved and the planta on owners could not find them.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet helped many slaves become free and proved that she would not be discriminated and no one had the right to own her. She became a heroine in many people’s eyes. She opened a home for the sick and elderly in America , free of charge for everybody. In that home, she was nursed and died of pneumonia. She was buried with semi‐military honours at Fort Hill and has a statue and an asteroid named a er her to honour her ac ons and life. She is a key icon in history, especially in America, and a great rebel.
Harriet Tubman’s 91 year life was already planned before her birth. She would be born and raised in harsh condi ons and suffer un l her death. She would never be able to escape the slave trade that had been going on for years. By Zehra Sami, Year 9 In the mes that she lived (1822‐1913), discrimina‐ on was seen as perfectly acceptable, contrary to what we believe today. People’s iden es were sto‐ len and they were abused. Harriet’s abuse was so bad that she suffered a severe head injury that re‐ sulted in seizures and painful headaches for the rest of her life. Thousands of slaves were unable to es‐ cape the harsh grip of the slave trade and many of her family died under the cruel control. Her sisters had already been moved to the other side of the world, away from their family. She did not like that or the fact that her fate had already been decided so she decided to do something abnormal for a woman of that me and rebelled. Running away was an obvious answer however those who did had their ears cut off and were branded. This stopped many slaves from achieving their freedom but not Harriet. She successfully escaped the planta on system in 1849.
Unlike many who would have stayed away, Harriet risked being caught over and over again to rescue her family and other enslaved people. She was ‘the famous conductor on the Underground Rail‐ road’. The Underground Railroad was a series of 6
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of stairs which caused her a major head injury and much pain . On 4 June 1913 she a ended the Ep‐ som Derby which is s ll a major horse racing event. She took the unbelievable risk of crossing the barri‐ er onto the track while the race was happen‐ ing. King George V was at the event and the act got a lot of media a en on. Everyone was so shocked at the sight of Emily being knocked down by the king’s horse that the event achieved a great deal of publicity . Sadly she died a few days later frm her injuries. The turn‐out at her funeral was spec‐ tacular. People lined the streets of London. Emily Davison
Emily Davison is a remarkable rebel. Her death was seen as the act of a martyr commi ed to her cause. Emily Davison was born in 1872 in Blackheath. She It could be said that her death helped bring about a ended the Royal Holloway college but in 1892 greater rights for women as the na onal vote for had to be taken out of the college due to her fa‐ women was granted just five years later. ther’s death and her mother’s salary which was not enough to pay for the educa on. She decided to By Bethany Hansford, Year 9 take on the challenge of being a private governess to many people so she could afford to go to St Hugh’s College. Emmeline Pankhurst had set up the woman’s social and poli cal union which in 1906 Emily bravely joined. Emily had such a strong belief in woman’s rights even though many people disagreed with giv‐ ing women more rights such as the na onal vote. In 1908 she stopped teaching and dedicated her me to ge ng woman’s rights and being a suffrage e as it was so important to her. Her ac ons for woman’s rights were so commi ed that she got imprisoned nine mes for different offences such as throwing stones in public. No ma er how long she was in prison and the dreadful condi ons she suffered, she s ll stood up to the authori es even though she was weak from refusing to eat. Eventually she had to be force fed. Although she was locked in a cell she came up with ideas like trapping the door so the people couldn’t get in but eventually they put a hose in her cell and began to fill it up with water but it wasn’t successful. In 1912 a er six months of im‐ prisonment she purposely threw herself down a set 7
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she was responsible Her friend Helena Moloney was arrested for her part in the stone‐throwing and became the first woman in Ireland to be tried and imprisoned for a poli cal act since the me of the Ladies Land League. She also ran a soup kitchen to feed poor children. .
Constance Markievicz
She also had a part to play in the Republican move‐ ment when she was second in command in the 1916 Easter Rising where 132 Bri sh Servicemen were le dead. At her court mar al on 4 May 1916, Markievicz pleaded not guilty to "taking part in an armed rebellion” but proudly pleaded guilty to hav‐ ing a empted "to cause disaffec on among the civil popula on of His Majesty" and she told the court, "I did what I thought was right and I stand by it." She was sentenced to death, but was then condemned to life in prison on "account of the prisoner's sex". It was reported that she said, "I do wish your lot had the decency to shoot me". Although she was brought up in a wealthy society she s ll felt that she had to do what was best for the people and her home, Ireland. She did what she felt necessary. Markievicz was a brave woman and a great rebel.
Constance Georgine Markievicz, was a poli cian, revolu onary na onalist, suffrage e and socialist. In December 1918, she was the first woman elected to the Bri sh House of Commons, though she did not take her seat. She was daughter of the Arc c explorer and adventurer Sir Henry Gore‐Booth. She decided to train as a painter, but, at the me, only one art school in Dublin accepted female students. In 1892, she went to study at the Slade School of Art in London. It was at this me that Gore‐Booth first became poli cally ac ve and joined the Na onal Union of Women's Suffrage Socie es. In 1908 she By Nina Ma nson, Year 8 became ac vely involved in Irish poli cs.
In 1909 Markievicz founded Fianna Éireann,a na‐ onalist scouts organisa on that instructed teenage boys and girls in the use of firearms. This was highly objected to and many people saw her as a rebel and a danger to society. She was jailed for the first me in 1911 for speaking at an Irish Republi‐ can Demonstra on which was a ended by 30,000 people, organised to protest against George V's visit to Ireland. She par cipated in stone‐throwing at pictures of the King and Queen and a empted to burn the giant Bri sh flag taken from Leinster House, eventually succeeding, but then seeing James McArdle imprisoned for one month for the incident, despite Markievicz tes fying in court that 8
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Adolf Hitler
In 1923, shortly a er the First World War, Germany was in chaos: France had taken German territory, there were large numbers of unemployed veterans and the government was running out of money. Many ex‐soldiers s ll had weapons from their days figh ng in the Great War including Adolf Hitler. Hit‐ ler was part of a rebel right‐wing group called the Nazis who used to meet in Beer Halls in Munich and strongly opposed the local government there.
the police. The man standing next to Hitler was shot but Hitler escaped. Two days later, Adolf Hitler was captured and stood trial for 24 days in Munich. Hit‐ ler spoke eloquently at his trial and denied com‐ mi ng treason. These are two excerpts from his trial:
“I cannot declare myself guilty. True, I confess to the deed but I do not confess to the crime of high trea‐ son. There is no ques on of treason in an ac on which aims to undo the betrayal of this country in 1918.”
“I feel myself the best of Germans who desired what was best for his people.”
He was eventually convicted and sent to prison. It was during his imprisonment that he wrote Mein Kampf which was dedicated to the 16 men who lost their lives at the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. This was the prelude to Hitler’s rise to power in Germany as although he was unsuccessful, his trial brought him lots of publicity. Hitler was trying to rebel against the Weimar Republic in Germany and he would eventually take over the whole country.
On 8 November 1923 several important poli cians By Rose Chaloner, Year 8 and the head of the Bavarian police and army held a mee ng in a Beer Hall in Munich. Hitler’s supporters were hidden in the audience with as many firearms as they could carry. Midway through the mee ng Hitler marched in with more Nazis and a man shot his revolver at the ceiling to get everyone’s a en‐ on. Hitler took the three poli cians into a side room and tried to persuade them to join his cause. They would not agree but mendaciously he went back to the audience and told them the poli cians were going to join the Nazis. Hitler returned to the poli cians and forced them to agree saying the au‐ dience were behind him.
The next morning one of the poli cians ‐ Gustav von Kahr ‐ broke his agreement by speaking on pub‐ lic radio to assure people that he was not a Nazi. Meanwhile, Hitler and 3000 Nazi supporters marched into Munich and figh ng broke out with 9
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Rosa Luxemburg
In December 1914, Luxemburg and another believer in socialism called Karl Liebknecht formed a sepa‐ rate revolu onary group called the Spartacus League. This group believed in revolu on for the people to bring equality and end the war and a er one protest where Rosa made an an ‐war speech she was arrested and spent a year in prison.
Rosa helped to lead a big demonstra on in May 1916 where they marched through the streets of Berlin protes ng against the war. Rosa was arrest‐ ed again and this me was kept in prison un l the end of the war in November 1918 to stop her mak‐ ing any more trouble. However when Rosa did get out, the first thing she did was help make the Spar‐ Rosa Luxemburg was born in 1871 and was a wom‐ tacus League into a proper poli cal party called an who believed in equality and fairness for all peo‐ Communist Party of Germany (KPD). ple and was absolutely an ‐war. She followed the teachings of the philosopher Karl Marx who said The party quickly began to rebel against the govern‐ that the rich people in the world use the ordinary ment. In January the KPD and the Spartacus League people to make them even richer and don’t care held a demonstra on in Berlin to try to make a what happens to the ordinary people (he calls them proper revolu on to get rid of the government and the workers). Rosa was a Jew from Poland and she create a new, fairer one. Rosa was not happy as she was always very interested in poli cs and fairness. didn’t think they had enough support but she joined She le Poland because it was ruled by the Russians them anyway. The government sent in the army to and it was not a fair country. She went to Switzer‐ stop the rebellion and Rosa Luxemburg and Karl land where she studied natural science and poli cal Liebknecht were captured, interrogated and then shot dead. Rosa’s body was thrown into a canal and economy. was not found for five months. When it was there a Rosa married a German called Gustav Lubeck and big funeral held and thousands of people a ended. went to live in Berlin. She joined a poli cal party called the German Social Democra c Party (SPD) Rosa Luxemburg was considered a martyr by others who had the same poli cal ideas as her. In me she who wanted to achieve socialism for their country. became a leader of men and persuaded people to We do not have to agree with her poli cal ideas to protest against the rich people she felt were ex‐ see that Rosa was a strong, independent woman ploi ng them. She really wanted a socialist revolu‐ who was willing to fight for her poli cal ideas. This on. In par cular she wanted people to protest was at a me when women were considered to be against the First World War and that Germany less important and not clever enough to even vote should stop figh ng in it. Rosa believed that the in most countries. Like some suffrage es she was First World War was all about rich people ge ng willing to die for her beliefs but more than this, she more power and allowing the workers to be killed was a leader of men and women in the a empt to for their gain. She did not like this but many in her get equality and a fair government for all the people poli cal party thought that her views were unpatri‐ in the country. She was a true rebel who died for her cause. o c.
By Sophie Ellison, Year 8 10
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Mohandas Gandhi Mohandas Karachand Gandhi was a poli cal cam‐ paigner who fought for India’s independence from the Bri sh Raj. He is famous for using strategies of non‐violence and mass non‐coopera on to achieve his goal. Gandhi was widely popular as he commu‐ nicated to, respected and fought for people from all sorts of backgrounds. Everybody remembers Gan‐ dhi with the image of the peaceful and wise ‘Mahatma’, which means ‘the Great Soul’, and his spreading his philosophy of ‘satyagraha’, which loosely translates as ‘insistence on truth’, but is gen‐ erally known as non‐violent resistance. However, his rebellious self against the unjust of the Bri sh wasn’t seen only in his humble ba le for swa‐ raj. Not many people associate him with being a disapproved rebellious teenager.
drinking alcohol, ea ng meat and womanis‐ ing. Nevertheless, Gandhi had his morals and be‐ lieved in self‐improvement, so a er every me he made a mistake he would pray for repent‐ ance. However, one night he had snuck out of his house to have sex with his wife while unfortunately his father died at home. Gandhi had regre ed miss‐ ing his father’s death.
“I felt deeply ashamed and miserable. I ran to my father’s room. I saw that if animal passion had not blinded me, he would have died in my arms.”
His betrayal of his values during the last moments of his father’s life was certainly a turning point for Gan‐ dhi. When his wife became pregnant, but the child died soon a er birth, he took it as a punishment for his reckless behaviour. He moved to London despite the hardships of racism, where he integrated into western society and studied law. Even so, Gandhi found friends who helped him return to his tradi‐ onal Hindu principles from his childhood of vege‐ tarianism, no alcohol and sexual abs nence. It was from this point where he formed his own ideas about essen al unity and religions of all people, and on his way to becoming the humble ‘Mahatma’ that everybody knows today. By Elizave a Michael, Year 12
Gandhi was born in Porbandar on the 2nd of Octo‐ ber 1869 to an elite family. His father worked as the chief minister of Porbandar and his mother spent most of her me in the temple fas ng and bringing up Gandhi with a strong Hindu ethic. Their religion emphasised vegetarianism, religious tolerance, a simpler lifestyle, and non‐violence ‐ all the values that Gandhi strongly believed in and celebrated throughout his life. Their family moved, and Gandhi received a be er educa on and the opportunity to learn English. When he was 13 years old, he mar‐ ried a 14 year old local girl called Kasturba. Seeking the pleasures of life, he became a rebellious teenag‐ er and went against the principles of his religion by
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Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is probably the most influen al and amazing rebel of the twen eth century. He stood up to defeat the terrible racial prejudice in South Afri‐ ca.
Nelson was born in 1918 as Rolihlahla Mandela but later on in his life at school a teacher called him Nel‐ son instead. Nelson was born in Transkei in South Africa. His father was called Henry and was a chief of the Tembu people and his mother was Nosekeni Fanny. Sadly when he was nine his father passed away and he was then looked a er by Jongintaba Dalindyebo who was a regent of the Tembu. At school and then college, he was a good student and did good school work. He also enjoyed a lot of box‐ ing and running. At Fort Hare University he studied law and in 1939 he le . Nelson's family had chosen a wife for him but he did not want an arranged mar‐ riage so he le and went to Johannesburg. He went on with his studies and became a lawyer.
everyone to have the same rights as white people. In 1948 the South African government made new laws to keep black and white people apart which meant that people had to go to different schools and they couldn’t even marry or sit on the same table at a restaurant. This was called the ‘apartheid’ system.
Nelson Mandela, along with many black people and some white people tried to rebel against this terri‐ ble system. He admired Gandhi because he fought for India with words and not figh ng so Mandela wondered if he could do the same but speaking out was very dangerous, and he was arrested several mes.
Mandela became the leader of a secret army called Umkhonto we Sizwe or 'Spear of the Na on'. He was then hunted by the police and in 1962 he was given a life sentence for trying to bring down the govern‐ ment. Mandela was sent to Robben Island. Other ANC leaders were there like Walter Sisulu. He was on Robben Island for 18 years doing hard labour and could only have a visitor every 6 months which means he had only 36 visits from friends and family. He was later moved to a different prison. He be‐ came one of the world's most famous prisoners. In 1988 some changes were made and and everyone's calls got louder. Free Nelson Mandela! In 1990 South Africa had a new president called FW de Klerk and he let Mandela free from prison. They both made an agreement that all South Africans would work together in peace. In the 1994 elec ons all black people could vote and they voted for Nelson Mandela: he became South Africa's first black presi‐ dent. Nelson re red from being president in 1999 and from 2004 he gave up poli cs to have a quiet life with his family. He then sadly died in 2013. Man‐ dela was a brave rebel who achieved great things for his country and mankind.
In 1815 Britain took over South Africa and it became part of the Bri sh Empire. In 1886 they found gold and with good farmland this country was rich! But it was not peaceful as the white people and the black people were figh ng all the me. While Mandela By Lara Edwards‐Viloria, Year 7 was growing up the government was very unfair as it had only white people. Most black people were poor so they had to work as servants, farmers, in factories or in gold mines. Later on Nelson joined the ANC, (African Na onal Congress) who wanted
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Malala Yousafzai
as she shows that no ma er what your race, age or where you are from, all girls should be able to have an educa on. In 2013, Malala was listed as Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Influen al People in the World’. In addi on to that achievement, on 10 Oc‐ tober 2014, Malala co‐received the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala is only 18 years old, and to me that proves that you should never think you are too young to rebel against unfairness and make a change.
By Joelle Bello, Year 9
'I don't want to be remembered as the girl who was shot. I want to be remembered as the girl who stood up.'
Malala Yousafzai, is just a regular school student like myself, however on 9 October 2012, she stood up for what she believed in, and it had a large im‐ pact on the world. On that day, as Malala was on her way to school, a gunman boarded her school bus and shot her in the head three mes. What did she do, to deserve such a horrible punishment?
Malala stood up for girls’ educa on. She began wri ng a blog for the BBC about life under the re‐ pressive Taliban rule in northern Pakistan when she was just 11 years old. Here girls were periodically banned from going to school and Malala was angry about this. She received death threats but con n‐ ued to publicise this injus ce, using her blog, a doc‐ umentary made about her, and facebook. When she was shot there was a big outcry in Pakistan and a 10 million rupee reward was offered for infor‐ ma on about her a ackers. She received medical treatment in Europe and now a ends school in Bir‐ mingham, where she achieved mostly A and A* grades for her GCSEs last summer.
Compared to some the other notable rebels in his‐ tory such as Mar n Luther King Jr and Gandhi, Malala definitely has not been around for as long however they all went against the norm. Malala is definitely a role model for young girls everywhere 13
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Emmanuelle Chaloner and Nicole Caron-Delion
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