The Australian Colonies (PDF)

THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 1  Contents What is a colony? Page 2 A vast empire Page 3 The e...

THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 1  Contents What is a colony? Page 2 A vast empire Page 3 The empire expands Page 4 The first colony Page 5 The colony expands Page 6 The colonies established Page 7 To the north, south, east and west Page 8 A colonial timeline Page 9 What does this symbol mean? Discussion points: opportunities for additional discussion and investigation. © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 1  What is a Colony? The era between the 16th and 19th Centuries was a time of great exploration and colonisation. The rich and powerful kingdoms of Europe raced against each other to lay claim to as many lands as they could in Asia, The Americas and Africa, often ignoring the plight of the Indigenous inhabitants of those lands. During the 1600s the traditional rival nations of France and England began to explore the South Pacific region. Many animals are described as living in colonies. Can you think of some? Why then use this word to describe countries colonising a land and people? The word “colony” comes from the Latin word colōnia, meaning farm or inhabited land. Why Colonise? Colonies were viewed as a rich source of commodities and were also new areas of settlement. Claim to the lands by the Indigenous people of colonised areas were often ignored by the powerful European kingdoms. Was this fair? © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 2  A Vast Empire “The empire on which the sun never sets.” This phrase was used to describe the British Empire during the 19th and 20th Centuries. The empire was so vast that there was always at least one part of its territory in daylight. Like other European ‘powerhouses’, such as Spain, France and Portugal, the British established large overseas empires, colonising land across the globe to expand their economical and political interests. Did you know? George III was the British King during the early colonisation of Australia. He reigned from 1760-1820. He never visited his new colony. The first British monarch to visit Australia was Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Use the map to work out which countries were British Colonies in the 19th century. King George III © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 3  The Empire Expands Eastern Coast by the name New South Wales, Captain James Cook claimed the east coast of together with all the Bays, Harbours, Rivers and Australia under instruction from King George III Islands situate upon the said coast…” of England on 2 August 1770 at Possession Island, naming eastern Australia as New South Wales. The Indigenous Aboriginal Population in After exploring the area around Botany Bay, 1800 was estimated at 750 000. Before Cook and his crew observed “The trees are tall, European settlement, it is thought there were straight, and without underwood, standing at approximately 250 Aboriginal nations. such a distance from each other that the whole Despite meeting Australian Aboriginal people country, might be cultivated… “ living on the land, Captain Cook observed the During the 1770s, Captain Cook made two more newly discovered continent as being Terra voyages to the South Pacific and reported his Nullius; a land belonging to nobody. What are findings back to the King and the British Government. your thoughts about Cook’s observation? These included his observations of Norfolk Island and New Zealand. Norfolk Island was prized for its abundance of Norfolk pine trees. Captain Cook’s proclamation on Possession Island “…I now once more hoisted English Coulers and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took possession of the whole © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 4  The First Colony British government to exercise executive authority Landing on the shores of Botany Bay on 18 over the colony. January 1788, the First Fleet, led by Captain What do you think executive authority means? Arthur Phillip, founded the first British settlement A penal colony was a colonial community, often in Australia as a penal colony. Upon arrival, established in an isolated part of a country’s Captain Phillip assumed the role of Governor in territory, to detain prisoners. Chief of the colony until his departure in 1792. Do you think there is a difference between a prisoner and a convict? British Convicts were originally transported to the colonies in North America, but after the American War of Independence ended in 1783, the now independent United States refused to accept more convicts. As a result of Captain Cook’s favourable reports on the land, in 1785, orders were issued in London for the establishment of a new penal colony in New South Wales. The office of governor (governor in chief was an early title) is the oldest constitutional office in ‘The founding of Australia Australia. A governor was appointed by the (State Library of Victoria, H8731, colour reproduction of painting in the Tate Gallery by Algernon Talmage) © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 5  The Colony Expands From the first British settlement in Sydney Cove in 1788, the Australian Colonies quickly expanded up and down the East coast, over the Bass Strait to Tasmania and across the vast continent to the south and west of Australia. Each colony was a separate political area with its own constitution, government and parliament. They also had their own defence organisation, transport and trade structures. Each colony had its own flag. The flag of the colony of Victoria was introduced in 1870. Each colonial flag included the British flag (Union Jack). The South Australian flag was introduced in 1878. Zoom in on the illustration. What do you think it represents? Flag of Victoria Through the 1800s, people in each colony were granted the right to elect their own parliaments. However, voting eligibility was restricted to men with a certain amount of wealth and land. Was this fair? How have voting rights changed? Flag of South Australia © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 6 Port Arthur, Tasmania - This notoriously harsh convict settlement was established as a convict colony in 1830. The Colonies Established The early Australian Colonies were primarily penal colonies, to accommodate the vast numbers of convicts being sent from Britain. Yet, the new settlements and colonies were much more than jails. From the earliest years of colonisation, emancipated convicts started to explore and farm the land. Officials and soldiers decided to stay and make the new colonies their home. Sailors and merchants arrived and many never left. By the end of the 18th Century, free settlers paid their own fares to migrate to the new colonies. By 1863 the map of the Australian Colonies was complete and remained unchanged until the Federation of Australia in 1901, when the colonies became states or territories. Emancipated convicts were convicts who were given conditional or absolute pardons. One example of this is Thomas Siderson who was given a Certificate of Freedom in 1832 after serving his 14 year sentence. © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 7  To the north, south, east and west! There is no photographic evidence available of the early Australian colonies and settlements. Historians use contemporary artworks and engravings to help form a picture of how the colonies may have looked. An image of Moreton Bay 1835 Bowerman, Henry Boucher, 1789-1840. Courtesy of State Library of Queensland. Are artworks a dependable source of historical fact? Visit the National Art Gallery’s website to view its rich library of colonial art. Adelaide 1839 A painting by Martha S. Berkeley © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 8  40 000+ 1788 1825 1829 1836 1851 1859 1901 years ago Jan 26 Dec 3 June 18 Feb 19 July 1 June 6 Jan 1 First New South Van Swan River South Victoria Queensland Australian Aboriginal Wales Diemen’s Colony Australia Proclaimed declared Federation people established Land established Colonised a separate a separate arrived as a British declared a Colony Colony on the Colony Colony Australian continent A Timeline: The Australian Colonies © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 9