Australia/ New Zeland

Amongst the similarities between US, New Zealand and Australia is the fact that they were all under the British rule at some point in history. The British claimed Australia in 1770 A.D. The British came to New Zealand in 1769. The British colonized America in 1763.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_colonization_of_the_Americas).

 There was a Gold Rush in all three countries in the 1800's. Gold was found in southern Australia in 1850’s. Entire settlements were deserted because peopled rushed to the gold mines. In 1861 Gold is found in Tuapeka, New Zealand leading to a Gold rush there. In 1848 the Gold Rush in America began in Sacramento, California when Jason Marshall discovered gold while constructing a saw mill along the American river. (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/californiagoldrush.htm)

There are differences in how each county gained independence from Great Britain. In 1901 the six colonies in Australia form the Commonwealth of Australia with a democratic government and British royalty left only with a ceremonial role. Final independence was achieved on March 3, 1986 with passing of the Australian Act 1986. The independence of Australia from Britain rather than occurring as a single event in history, was a continuous process with significant milestones like: 1901 Estabilishment of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1927 development of shared Monarchy, 1931 passing of Statute of Westminster and 1986 , passing of the Australian Act. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_history_of_Australia). New Zealand became a self governing community within the British empire, progressively increasing its self-governing and finally getting independence in 1947. America underwent a revolutionary war from 1775 to 1783 to get independence from Britain.  (http://www.britishbattles.com/american-revolution.htm)

All three countries had natives or slaves that were oppressed. In Australia, in 1962: The Aborigines were given the right to vote and 5 years later recognized as citizens. In 1976, the Aboriginal Lands rights Act was passed giving the Aboriginals the right to make claims on their ancestral land in the Northern territory and 9 years later Uluru was returned to them. In 2008, The Australian parliament formally apologized for the past wrongs done against the Aboriginal people. In New Zealand in 1840 the Maori signed the Treaty of Waitangi giving control to the British in exchange for protection and guarantee to possess their lands. In America, in 1864 the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery,and the 15th amendment was ratified in 1870 that prohibited the government from preventing any citizen from voting based on their color, race or previous state of servitude giving African Americans the right to vote,but in reality they were block from voting by threats of violence and it wasn't until 1963 that the Civil rights act was passed giving greater protection of the right to vote for blacks.

(http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/the_right_to_vote.htm)