Prisoners as Colonists in Australia

GPS: SS6H9a. Explain the reasons for British colonization of Australia; include the use of prisoners as colonists.

E.Q.: Why did the British colonize Australia?

Europeans Arrive

1606: 1st Europeans sailed into Australian waters.

1770: English Captain James Cook claimed the eastern coast of Australia for England.

He named it “New South Wales”.

Reason #1Great Britain’s prisons were overcrowded.

After the American War for Independence, Great Britain could no longer send its extra prisoners to Georgia.

Great Britain chose Australia as a penal (prison) colony because

There were no other colonies there

There weren’t many indigenous people

Great Britain did not have a colony there

1788-1823: New South Wales was a penal colony with prisoners, marines, and their wives.

20% of the prisoners were women.

Great Britain shipped prisoners to Australia till 1868.

By then, many free immigrants had arrived and built trading posts, farms, and businesses.

Reason #2

Australia was a good spot for Great Britain to base its South Pacific navy.

British ships would be able to make repairs and get supplies there.

Reason #3

Australia’s location provided opportunities for Great Britain to trade with Asia, the Americas, and Australia.

Reason #4

Great Britain did not want France to colonize Australia.

The countries of Europe were jealous of each other.

Europeans believed if their countries had colonies, they would be better off.

CRCT Test Prep page 205

520. The prisoners used to colonize Australia in the late 1700s were primarily from which country?

Great Britain

521. Which war made the government of Great Britain look to Australia as a penal colony?

American War for Independence

522. What part of the first prisoners sent to Australia were women?

20%

523. What was the original name Captain James Cook gave to the colony of Australia?

New South Wales

The Impact of EuropeanDiseases & Weapons

On the Indigenous People

Of

Australia

GPS and E.Q.

GPS: SS6H9b. Explain the impact of European colonization of Australia in terms of diseases and weapons on the indigenous peoples of Australia.

E.Q.: How did British colonization of Australia impact the indigenous people?

The British settlers had an immediate impact on Aboriginal life.

European settlers took over good sources of water, fisheries, and arable land.

Settlers turned land used by the Aborigines into colonial towns, farms, and mining operations.

Some Aborigines welcomed the colonists.

Some Aborigines thought whites were the spirits of the dead.

Others tried to protect their hunting lands and homes.

The most damaging things the Europeans brought to Australia were diseases.

Aborigines had no immunity to the diseases.

It is estimated that 50% to 70% of the Aborigines died of diseases brought by Europeans.

Smallpox, for instance, was a new disease for the Aborigines.

Smallpox began to sicken and kill large numbers of Aborigines.

Other diseases were flu, tuberculosis, cholera, measles, and the common cold.

British guns gave the colonists a major advantage in fights.

Many Aborigines living near settlements were killed or forced to leave.

Those Aborigines who survived the British expansion often tried to remain near their original homeland.

Others began to live on the edges of colonial settlements.

The British brought cattle and sheep from Europe to Australia.

To stay healthy, these animals needed water and large areas for grazing.

The landscape changed as settlers cleared trees, built fences, farmed, and grazed livestock on the land.

The lands that were used were often those that were home to the Aborigines.

Because the British were heavily armed, they were able to push aside anyone who stood against them.

As the number of British settlements expanded, Aborigines turned to violence to protect their land.

A gold rush in the 1850s attracted thousands of new settlers to Australia.

That resulted in more conflicts with Aborigines and hundreds more deaths.

In some areas, farmers formed revenge groups.

These groups responded to the killing of sheep and cattle by murdering Aboriginal women and children.

Ranchers asked surviving local Aboriginal populations to work as stockmen and domestic workers.

Quiz Yourself

524. What was the greatest threat to the Aborigines after the Europeans began settling Australia?

a. Guns used in battles

b. Diseases Europeans carried with them

c. Animals Europeans brought with them

d. Mining and excavation tools used to extract minerals

Diseases

525. What event in the mid-19th century (1850s) led to the killing of hundreds of Aborigines?

a. gold rush

b. release of prisoners

c. settlement of coastal cities

d. establishment of sheep and cattle farms

Gold rush

526. Which was an effect of British settlement of Australia?

a. Aborigines remained in their homelands

b. Many Aborigines became factory workers in order to survive

c. Thousands of Aborigines died of small pox and other diseases

d. Aborigines were elected to representative positions in the colonial government

Thousands of Aborigines died of small pox and other diseases