The founding British colonies in Australia were built with the same laws, principles, and morals in place as their fellow colonies throughout the world. Under British rule, and under the rule of the Christian God, the government encompassed laws of morality that forbade the killing of the innocent. However, history shows that settlers and pioneers had a different set of principles than those of their said founders. The Frontier Massacres that occurred throughout the course of Australian history prove that some people held themselves to a different regard than what they claimed to believe. Keith Windshuttle discusses in his essay The Myths of Frontier Massacres, “ The notion that the frontier was a place where white men could kill blacks with impunity ignores the powerful cultural and legal prohibition on such actions” (Windshuttle, 23). He argues that the rule of law was more common than outright warfare, and the massacres that occurred were few and far between. However, we can see through various letters and records, specifically those from the late 1800’s, that the frontier was in fact a place where aboriginals killed and were killed by settlers without regard. The Massacres, both at Lake Hope and the Keppel Islands, as well as various other massacres, both prove how brutal time on the frontier truly was. For a long time in Australian history, there was constant concealment of the reality of the nature of the relationships between the settlers, government, and aboriginal peoples. Aboriginal people were supposed to be British subjects, but were not aware of the fact. They would commit crimes of British law, and settlers would harm them under that justification. Jno. B Hughes wrote, in a letter to The Register, regarding the att... ... middle of paper ... ...ct that they lost their land, didn’t abide by British rule and customs, and retaliated against mistreatment. Granted their vengeance wasn’t exactly just, but culturally it was reasonable. Windshuttle claims that colonists wouldn’t murder anyone due to their moral beliefs and/or obligation to abide by the law. Nonetheless, if we take a look at history, specifically Lake Hope and the Keppel Islands, we can see that his statement is not entirely true. Although the specific number is unknown, it is common knowledge that hundreds of Aboriginal Australians were murdered at the hands of British settlers, colonists, and pioneers. To deny this truth is to deny a very real and relevant piece of history. Windshuttle also argues, “Historians should only accept evidence of violent deaths, Aboriginal or otherwise, where there is a minimum amount of direct evidence” (Rowland, 1).
This statement shows Aboriginals are inferior and have no rights or sovereignty over the land. Therefore the Europeans are superior by law to them. Lambert (2012. pg12) writes that Europeans regarded Torres Islanders and Aboriginals way of life and land use was “not being used in a fashion that European legal and property systems approved”. The information from both sources shows Europeans confirmed that land is not owned by anyone, unless there is a legal document to prove ownership therefore Europeans believed Aboriginals and Torres Islanders did not own the land even though they live there. Lambert (2012) suggests Europeans were “very liberal” compared to the Torres Islander and Aboriginals. The Proclamation 1835 was written after the Batman Deed however shows no evidence there was a treaty previously between John Batman and Dutigalla people. This also demonstrates Torres Islanders sovereignty is not regarded by the Europeans. (WC: 196). Jeff Lambert states the land was perceived as “unoccupied land” as “Aborigines demonstrated their affinity with the land in sustainability, cultural and spiritual terms” (Lambert 2012.pg 13), these actions were not
The National Apology of 2008 is the latest addition to the key aspects of Australia’s reconciliation towards the Indigenous owners of our land. A part of this movement towards reconciliation is the recognition of Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders rights to their land. Upon arrival in Australia, Australia was deemed by the British as terra nullius, land belonging to no one. This subsequently meant that Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were never recognised as the traditional owners. Eddie Mabo has made a highly significant contribution to the rights and freedoms of Indigenous Australians as he was the forefather of a long-lasting court case in 1982 fighting for the land rights of the Torres Strait Islanders. Eddie Mabo’s introduction of the Native Title Act has provided Indigenous Australians with the opportunity to state claim to their land, legally recognising the Indigenous and the Torres Strait Islanders as the traditional owners.
The United States government initially celebrated the Battle at Wounded Knee as the final conflict between Native Americans and the United States military - after which the western frontier was considered safe for the incoming settlers. Over 20 medals were awarded to the soldiers for their valor on the battlefield. However, the understanding has changed regarding what actually took place at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890. The Hollywood version of the Battle of Wounded Knee accurately presents the case that the Battle at Wounded Knee was actually a massacre of the Sioux - the culminating act of betrayal and aggression carried out by the United States military,
Parbury (1999:64) states that Aboriginal education “cannot be separated” from the non-Aboriginal attitudes (racially based ethnocentricity that were especially British ie. white and Christian) towards Aborigines, their culture and their very existence. The Mission Schools are an early example of the connection between official education policies and key events in Aboriginal history. Aboriginal children were separated from their parents and placed into these schools which according to McGrath (as cited by Parbury, 1999:66) it was recommended that these establishments be located ‘as far as possible’ from non Aboriginal residents so as to minimize any heathen influence that Aboriginal children might be subject to from their parents. Mission Schools not only prepared Aboriginal youth for the manual labour market but also, adds Parbury (1999:67) their aim was‘to destroy Aboriginal culture and replace it with an Anglo-European work and faith ethic.’ Despite the NSW Public Instruction Act (1880) which made education free, secular and compulsory for all children Aboriginal children could be excluded from public schools based on prevailing dominant group attitudes. Consequently, the NSW Aborigines Protection Act (1909) was introduced as a result of a perceived public education crisis and Laws had already been passed, similar to protectionist type policies. This Act gave the State the power to remove Aboriginal children from their families whereby this period of time has become known as ‘Stolen Generations.’ It was during this time that Aboriginal children were segregated from mainstream schools. (Parbury, 1999; Lippman, 1994).
Indigenous People. In evaluating the Legal System’s response to Indigenous People and it’s achieving of justice, an outline of the history of Indigenous Australians - before and during settlement - as well as their status in Australian society today must be made. The dispossession of their land and culture has deprived Indigenous People of economic revenue that the land would have provided if not colonised, as well as their ... ... middle of paper ... ...
Of the 8 successful, the 1967 referendum which proposed the removal of the words in section 51 (xxvi) ‘… other than the aboriginal people in any State’ (National Archives of Australia ND), and the deletion of section 127, both, which were discriminative in their nature toward the Aboriginal race, recorded a 90.77% nationwide vote in favour of change (National Archives of Australia, 2014). As a result, the Constitution was altered; highlighting what was believed to be significant positive political change within Indigenous affairs at the time (National Archives of Australia, 2014). Approaching 50 years on, discussion has resurfa...
During the late sixteen century, when the first fleet arrived to Australia and discovered the free settlers or known as Australian Indigenous inheritors (The Aborigines), the community of aboriginal inhabitants since then have experienced vast levels of discrimination and racism against their gender, race, colour and ethnicity. The term over representations refers to the presents of minority or disproportionate ethnic aboriginal groups represented in the criminal justice system (CJS). This essay will further explain the relationship between aboriginal communities and policing discussed in Blagg (2008) and Cunneen (2007, the three major sources of concern in association to aboriginal over representation in CJS which include; systematic bias,
One of the darkest times in American history was the conflict with the natives. A “war” fought with lies and brute force, the eviction and genocide of Native Americans still remains one of the most controversial topics when the subject of morality comes up. Perhaps one of the most egregious events to come of this atrocity was the Sand Creek Massacre. On the morning of November 29th, 1864, under the command of Colonel John Chivington, 700 members of the Colorado Volunteer Cavalry raped, looted, and killed the members of a Cheyenne tribe (Brown 86-94). Hearing the story of Sand Creek, one of the most horrific acts in American History, begs the question: Who were the savages?
On February 8th, 1968, shots were fired on a crowd of civil rights protesters and that day became known as one of the saddest days in South Carolina history. Many problems occurred in South Carolina, mostly between blacks and whites over issues about civil rights and segregation. These issues in South Carolina lasted many years and led to many events, protests, and even massacres that all resulted in sometimes very horrible outcomes but also bringing South Carolina one step further to getting rid of segregation. One horrible event that took place in the late 60’s was the Orangeburg Massacre that resulted in a few deaths and some injuries but also furthered integration in Orangeburg. In 1968, due to the conflict between civil rights protestors
Reynolds, H. (1976). The Other Side of The Frontier: Aboriginal resistance to the European invasion of Australia. Queensland, Australia: James Cook University
...rial covered in the unit Aboriginal People that I have been studying at the University of Notre Dame Fremantle, Aboriginal people have had a long history of being subjected to dispossession and discriminatory acts that has been keep quite for too long. By standing together we are far more likely to achieve long lasting positive outcomes and a better future for all Australians.
Within Australia, beginning from approximately the time of European settlement to late 1969, the Aboriginal population of Australia experienced the detrimental effects of the stolen generation. A majority of the abducted children were ’half-castes’, in which they had one white parent and the other of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Following the government policies, the European police and government continued the assimilation of Aboriginal children into ‘white’ society. Oblivious to the destruction and devastation they were causing, the British had believed that they were doing this for “their [Aborigines] own good”, that they were “protecting” them as their families and culture were deemed unfit to raise them. These beliefs caused ...
The assimilation policy was a policy that existed between the 1940’s and the 1970’s, and replaced that of protectionism. Its purpose was to have all persons of aboriginal blood and mixed blood living like ‘white’ Australians, this established practice of removing Aboriginal children (generally half-bloods) from their homes was to bring them up without their culture, and they were encouraged to forget their aboriginal heritage. Children were placed in institutions where they could be 'trained' to take their place in white society. During the time of assimilation Aboriginal people were to be educated for full citizenship, and have access to public education, housing and services. However, most commonly aboriginal people did not receive equal rights and opportunities, for example, their wages were usually less than that paid to the white workers and they often did not receive recognition for the roles they played in the defence of Australia and their contribution to the cattle industry. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that expendi...
The effect of British colonization on Native American populations was immense and destructive. Through the introduction of new diseases by the Europeans, “epidemics claimed the lives of 75 percent of the native people” between 1616 and 1618 along the New England coast (Lumen Learning, “The Impact of Colonization”) and caused “the loss of knowledge and tradition...and devastating implications for future generations” of Natives (Lumen Learning, “The Impact of Colonization”). Some less fatal effects included the somewhat forced conversion of natives to Christianity and the adoption of some European technologies, such as textiles instead of animal fur, by the Natives, which once again resulted in a loss of tradition and culture (Lumen Learning, “The Impact of Colonization”). In Australia, on the other hand, some effects on Natives were similar to those seen in North America. Thousands of natives were also killed by newly introduced diseases; however, the treatment of the native populations by the Europeans was somewhat arguably better in the beginning of colonization than it was in the Americas. A number of settlers attempted to acclimate native children to European culture by sending them to school, though many ended up returning to their tribes. Governors also initially encouraged polite and fair interactions with the natives (Skwirk, “Consequences of British colonisation for Aboriginal People”); however, feelings soon turned sour as both sides realized their interests were in conflict. Because of superior European weaponry and military tactics, the result was extreme land loss for the Natives and violent killings in reaction to resistance, leaving the indigenous populations of Australia to be almost completely wiped out (Skwirk, “Consequences of British colonisation for Aboriginal
The Aborigines and British settlers were in a huge conflict that still applies to modern times. There were different perspectives on whether the British invaded or peacefully settled on the Aborigines land however it is certain for most that what they did was brutal, rude and very disrespectful to the Aborigines. The British took a lot away from the Aborigines including land, food, people and also tradition. Whether the slavery and removal of Aborigines improved modern Australia was debatable however it certainly lowered the respect for the British and they definitely owed the Aborigines an apology.