Australia- depth study 2

why did the British chose to establish a penal colony at Botany Bay?

* land was fertile and empty (natives didn’t have claim) Terra Nullis
* overflowing jails and American war meant new land was needed
* recommended by Cook’s botanist Joseph Banks

how many convicts landed on the first fleet?

732 convicts

what fraction of convicts were convicted for minor theft?

2/3

what were the problems with initial settlement?

* little fresh water and land was unsuitable for cultivation
* all livestock were gone within six months
* poor housing which let wind and rain in
* resorted to trading with natives for food
* convicts were unskilled and discipline was harsh

what kind of leader was Arthur Phillip?

* thorough and pragmatic
* tough with discipline but fair
* he was interested in protecting the aboriginal people

why is Arthur Phillip credited with the survival of the initial colony?

* prepared slowly for the voyage, ignoring commands to leave earlier which would have resulted in starvation
* shared food evenly and didn’t give anymore to the marines, preventing riot
* settled land at Parramatta which increased food supply from the land
* \

why were the conditions of the second fleet so bad?

* private company ran it and failed to prevent scurvy and disease on board
* 1/4 died on the journey and 150 soon after landing

what were the positives of the second fleet?

* arrival of the second fleet was evidence that the settlers had not been forgotten
* improved the chances of survival as it carried livestock and crops

who was Lachlan Macquarie?

* governor from 1809-1821
* paternalistic and had widespread powers
* brought economic growth to the colony (sterling silver coin in 1812 replacing rum)

why did Macquarie remove the New South Wales Corps?

they had gathered too much power (replaced the marines in 1792 and mutinied against governor Bligh in the 1808 Rum Rebellion). by ending the corps he was removing powers from the exclusives

who were the Exclusives?

free settlers and their descendants Sterlings (including members of the New South Wales Corps)

who were the Emancipists?

a convict who had served their term and was free of pardons (Currency was their children)

who did Macquarie tend to side with?

the Emancipists. he allowed an ex convict to deliver his baby and invited Emancipists to diner at his home

how did he show his paternalism?

* wanting to transform convicts into citizens (met new arrivals and helped them)
* promised rewards (land grants) so even though punishments were harsh, people got on
* colony became less drunken and more respectful

what was the experience of male convicts?

* worked for 9 hours per day mon to fri plus 5 hours on sat
* worked on farms, built roads and erected gov buildings
* whaling was the most important form of income
* punishments were harsh (100 lashes but never immediate, punishment had to be justified and proved)

what was the experience of female convicts?

* outnumbered (4,000 men to 1,300 women)
* first settlement of women were raped
* domestic jobs
* formed relationships for safety

what was Phillip’s system of convict work and why was it retained?

* called for land grants to freed convicts (ensured positivity in those free)
* retained as effective. Macquarie went further by granting land grants to those with pardons and tickets of leave to maintain population (supported in an 1812 gov report)

impact of Hawkesbury River land grants?

* expanded settlement
* promoted transport of goods via the river
* fertile land - such developments essential for Macquaries towns

the success of Macquarie towns?

* spent more money than London wanted him to but it improved the colony’s infrastructure
* self sufficient colony. money was not sent back to London but instead invested in schools, roads and churches.
* townships grew along the Hawkesbury River, Richmond, Windsor and Castlereagh
* Rum Hospital in Sydney at no cost

what was the Aboriginal population like at the point of British settlement?

at least 300,000 but could have ranged up to 1 million. they had existed up to 50,000 years before

what were the tensions between natives and the British in the first settlement?

* Phillip ordered his settlers not steal but they did anyway, causing tension
* violence broke out- 2 convicts murdered by Aborigines in May 1788
* Phillip tried to demonstrate justice by lashing those who had stolen infront of the Aboriginees. they did not understand turned their heads and cried.
* Small pox wiped out 50% of the costal population in the 1789 epidemic, heightening tensions
* 2,500 people in the Eora Nation initially, most wiped out in the end

what was Van Diemen’s Land initial population in 1803?

3,000 to 4,000

what were the Black Wars?

1804-30. hostilities between the Aborginals in Tasmania and the settlers

how were the Aborigines restricted from their land in Van Diemen’s Land?

* convicts viewed them as vermin and killed them
* sheep farming in the 1820s took their land
* Governor George Arthur issued a proclamation restricting Aborigines to settled districts

how many convicts were transported between 1788 and 1868?

168,000

when did the free population outnumber the convicts?

1828. showed people were willingly choosing to stay

what did Van Diemen’s Land act as?

a dumping ground for the worst convicts

what was the main industry until the 1820s?

Whaling and Sealing (wool took over after)

who led the 1813 crossing to the Blue Mountains?

Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth

how did Western Australia become established?

* surveyed in 1791
* small military base set up in 1826
* Swan River Company est 1828 and undertook to send 10,000 free settlers for a land grant

why was the initial settlement of Western Australia poor? BUT why was it important?

* first settlers arrived in 1829 but struggled with famine in the early years. 1,500 settlers left in 1832
* showed a change in British attitudes. Australia no longer a prison but instead home and profit

what did John Bigge?

appointed to travel across New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land between 1819 and 1821

what did Bigge oppose?

Macquaries actions on:

* convict labour
* early pardons, tickets of leave and land grants (told to put to a stop)
* unfair responsibly handed to the Emancipists

Bigge’s report influenced the New South Wales Act in 123. what did this entail?

* appointed legislative council
* justice system
* Van Diemen’s land as a seperate colony