RESEARCH

How Aboriginal people lived before colonisation

·         Aboriginal people lived according to efficient laws and ways of interacting with the environment to meet their needs.

·         Aboriginal peoples were lived in tribes and were nomadic.

·         They moved from place to place in search of food and water. For food, Aboriginal people caught fish and shellfish from the sea and rivers, hunted kangaroos, possums and birds, collected plants or caught lizards. They used wood, bone and shells to make tools and weapons. à thought of as behind the world, or uncivilized but really it was a completely different way of living that they hadn’t encountered before.  à the english would have seen them as animalistic and this is why they might have thought it okay to take over their land because they saw them as sub-human.

·         When the natural resources of an area began to run low, Aboriginal people moved on to the next place. They did not farm the land, plant or harvest crops or herd animalsà these were completely different ways of living than what the British knew and wasn’t the way that the British approached making a living.

Effects of the British

·          1788 - 1900, the Aboriginal population was reduced by 90%. Three main reasons for this were the introduction of new diseases, loss of land and loss of people through direct fighting with the colonisers.

·         Diseases- immediateà  epidemic diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, influenza and measles. à Aboriginies never encountered before so had no idea what they were or how to deal with them so it was able to kill them instantly. Also they didn’t have the modern medicine that the british did at the time so had no way of curing.  As these diseases were infectious, they spread very quickly and killed many people. In large Aboriginal communities, the diseases spread even more quickly.

·         Loss of land à  reduction of access to land and water resources.-  The settlers took the view that Aboriginal people, with a nomadic lifestyle, could easily be driven away from their lands. àessential resources such as food and water posed great danger to Aboriginal people who were left with no place to live and nowhere to hunt food, Aboriginal people had dramatically reduced chances for survival.

·         Europeans started raising stock in ranches, several changes took place. Many Aboriginal people lost their land. The spread of European livestock over vast areas also restricted the nomadic lifestyle of Aboriginal people.

·         From these ranches, Aboriginal people had a new supply of fresh meat, which changed their nutrition, their eating habits and ways of finding food. As a consequence, Aboriginal people started to depend on European settlers for their food and livelihood. à because their way of surviving had been destroyed with the loss of land and nowhere to hunt, so had to adapt to the European lifestyle

·         The British settlers also introduced alcohol to Aboriginal people which affected them very badly.

·         1850s, gold was found in south-eastern Australia. Many white pastoral workers left their stock farms or ranches to search for gold. Many Aboriginal men, women and children were hired to work in cattle stations and in other less popular industries, such as diving for pearls. à becoming more socialized into the european norms ect.  Instead of being paid, Aboriginal people received food, clothing and other basic necessities.

·         Christian missions often provided food and clothing for Aboriginal communities and opened schools and orphanages for Aboriginal children. In some places, colonial governments also provided some resources. à Aboriginys were being subliminally socialized and the british thought that they were saving the people but really they were destroying their society and way of life.

Australia 

·         In 1650 transportation started and felons were sent to America à over 125yrs, 50,000 men, women and children were sent to the 13 colonies

·         BUT ended in the American Civil war for independence à Britain needed another place to ship off the criminals so picked Australia!!

·         1786-1865 160,000 criminals were sent to Australia

·         Unlike USA – Australia was a lot more expensive and inconvenient and the prisoners upkeep proved a financial burden on the government

London 18^th Century

• 1760 – 750,000 people à 1815 – 1.4 mil people
• Higher morality rate
• Horrible living conditions – fertility rate reduced
• 1820’s age expectance – 35 and 29
• Huge class gap – u/c rich and grand but w/c extended families all in one house – no water or space
• More and more buildings à houses would crumble
• U/C area’s had new lighting, pavement, water but w/c mud roads and waste buckets

Crime

• London was jail capital
• No established police force – street runners and thief takers – like bounty hunters, privately employed – corruption e.g Johnathan Worn would turn own guys in for money
• Industrial revolution – new values/wealth and land à so new there was loop holes in the system – back streets riddled with crime.
• Woodland areas would have highway men and thieves’ à new transport meant they could attack and take material things.
• Bloody code – 200 offences were punishable by death/hanging – minor crimes as well – act as a deterrent to warn others. à From stealing – murder. à hangings were celebrated – a family day out.
• More people formed east, west and south London

Politics

• George 3^rd on throne – 1760-1820
• Conservative – lord North was PM
• American Civil war – 1783 ended and USA had independence but UK dept of 250mil result in higher taxes.
• Sailors in Anerican civil war – 124,000 killed
• Gordon riots à resistance of Catholics – trying to reduce their power à freed catholic’s from taking an oath when they enter the army

Theatre

• Opera – 18^th century die out – Theatre Royal built for it
• Shakespeare – but plays were rewritten to be relatable by David Garrick – Romeo + Juliet rewrite to be more relatable
• Shakespeare celebrate work more often
• David Garrick à famous actor – constantly sell-out and created the “star” idea in the theatre industry
• u/c appreciated à political/entertainment – but was out ruled by PM as satire wasn’t wanted 
• Melodrama came à elaborate costumes, stock characters, good triumph over evil ect.

Punishment

• Attempted assault/ aosdomy – hung
• Treason against gov – fine £10 or whipped publically – humiliation
• 1817 – abolished women being whipped
• Stocks à throw rocks ect – some were spinning
• Treason à women – burn on the stake but nice executioners would kill them first. à hung/drawn+ quartered – hanged but still alive brought down and dissected alive
•  Women – advantage in Australia as they could use sexuality to get food and a roof à many would marry guards à women be lined up and guards would drop a hankie in front of the one they wanted to marry – if the woman wanted to she would pick up the hankie and would get married immediately.
• Men who were caught in women camp said: “Whore camp…more sin in that place than any other” à Clark
• Factories were set up – with sowing and stereotypical work  à encouraged men to marry convicts so that when they would be released they would settle in Australia and create a community
• Leg irons + hard labor - chains – restrict movements – heavier weight worst crime.
• Solidarity confinement – if tried to escape – get flogged and put in for 1-6 months à dark cell – loss of understanding of time and disorientated
• Flog – public to warn convicts – fear à have a surgeon and a drummer to count lashes 
• Cato 9 tails – leather strands – whipped with à only way to get better is to urinate on the ground and lay in it.

Diseases

• Smallpox, Malaria, Yellow Fever, Influenza
• Scarlet Fever – 4-8yrs old and kill them à spots, rashes, pale lips
• Typhoid fever - would spread and not immune à 4 stages – exhaustion, mental confusion – slow heart beat – weight loss, no apatite, mental loss – body give up.

In Australia – 1788 England flag raised – Aborigines became citizens and had to follow BRIT laws – 1793 – 1^st free settlers

Navy

• Needed in 16^th Century – threat of Spain – needed Empire to match France and Spain à Navy to defend Empire from rivals à tax anyone by sea – was only way to travel
• Imprisonment à steal sailors from USA/France to expand fleet and downsize enemies
• South Africa training for BRIT empire
• Sailing – diseases – scurvy – eat lemon to avoid
• Higher level on ship the better accommodation
• Uniforms – Lieutenant – over faced blue jackets – white waistcoats, Captains -  gold lace buttons, Marines – red coats, below midshipman – no uniform just white coats
• Tactic’s – colonizing à giving small pox to aborigines was intentional to kill them off