European and Anglo-Indian Defence Association facts for kids
The European and Anglo-Indian Defence Association was a special group formed in British India. It was like a political club for British people who lived in India but weren't part of the government. The group was started by a businessman named John Johnstone Jardine Keswick, who was also its first president.
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What Was the Association?
The European and Anglo-Indian Defence Association was mainly set up to protect the interests of Europeans and Anglo-Indians (people of mixed British and Indian heritage) living in India. They wanted to make sure their rights and way of life were safe. The group also included Americans and Armenians, and anyone else who felt connected to Europeans.
The Association had three main goals:
- Political goals: To speak up for their rights and influence laws.
- Benevolent goals: To help their community.
- Economic goals: To protect their business interests.
The Ilbert Bill Controversy
The Association became very famous for strongly opposing something called the Ilbert Bill. Some people even called the group the "Defiance" Association because of how strongly they fought against it.
What Was the Ilbert Bill?
The Ilbert Bill was a proposed law introduced on February 2, 1883. It was put forward by Sir Courtenay Peregine Ilbert during the time Lord Ripon was the Viceroy of India (the highest British official).
Before this bill, Indian judges were not allowed to try cases involving European people in British India. The Ilbert Bill aimed to change this, allowing Indian magistrates or judges to hear cases where Europeans were involved.
The Association's Response
The European and Anglo-Indian Defence Association held its first big meeting on March 29, 1883, at the Town Hall in Calcutta. They said they had to form because the Ilbert Bill was trying to take away a "cherished right" from them without asking.
At this meeting, John Johnstone Jardine Keswick spoke against the bill. He believed that Indian judges should not have the power to try Europeans until Indian society had changed in certain ways.
In the end, the Association's strong efforts worked. British and European people in India kept the right to be tried by a jury made up of their own countrymen. Many years later, a judge named Sir Hugh Rahere Panckridge said that no other unofficial European had ever been trusted by his community as much as "King" Keswick.
Later Years and New Name
The Association continued to exist even after Keswick passed away in the early 1900s.
- In 1908, British tea and indigo planters asked the Association for help to protect their interests.
- In 1909, the group spoke out against Indian nationalists who were trying to boycott (stop buying) British goods.
- In 1912, the Association changed its name to the European Association. Even though they dropped "Anglo-Indian" from their name, they still worked to ensure a certain percentage of Anglo-Indian employees worked on the railways in India.
By 1931, the president of the European Association said that it was the "only official body" that represented the political views of non-official Europeans in India. This meant they had the official right to talk directly to the Government of India and the Viceroy.
