The Impact of Colonialism from Philip to Macquarie - Assignment Example

The Impact of Colonialism from Philip to Macquarie Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Contents Contents 1 2.0 Analysis 3 2.1 Chronology of Events from the Arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 to the Departure of Governor Macquarie in 1822 3 2.2 impact of the European Invasion and Settlement on the Aboriginal People. 5 2.3 Life imposed on Marines, Convicts and Free settlers in New Land of New South Wales 6 2.4 Role and Achievement of Governors 7 2.5 People Who Influenced Colony in NSW 7 2.6 Effects of Colonization on the Identity of Modern NSW 8 3.0 Conclusion 8 References 9 The Impact of Colonialism from Philip to Macquarie 1.0 Introduction Colonialism in Australia is regarded to as start of the discrimination and social historical injustices on the indigenous people of Australia, the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait People (Battison 2011, p.1). Australia was colonized by the British, a people who later came to settle on the land and transformed the country into a white dominated country. It is believed that Europeans first came to Australia around the years 1606. Several records show the existence of White men on the Australian waters (Australian Government 2012, p.1). In the period after 1606 stretching to 1770, it is estimated that about 54 ships coming from various European countries made contact with Australia. By then, the intent of the white men was mainly trade and adventure. It is after the discovery of the land by James Cook, an Englishman lieutenant that things began to change in the country and for the Aboriginals (Australian Government 2012, p.1). Cook refereed to Australia as the new land on the south west, hence the naming of Australia as New South Wales. At that time, British were in dire need for land to build prisons for its prisoners owing to the declaration of independence to several European colonies. Ideally, the taking up of land by the British to construct prisons was a start of the injustices which the Aboriginals were to be subjected to. Colonization started after the arrival of Arthur Philip in the Famous first fleet. He would later become the governor to Australia, as a British colony. The falling report will give a detailed discussion on the impact of colonialism in Australia during the early years of colonialism; from the arrival of Phillip in 1788 to Governor Macquarie time in 1822. 2.0 Analysis 2.1 Chronology of Events from the Arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 to the Departure of Governor Macquarie in 1822 Between the years 1788 and 1822, which are the early years of Australia’s colonization, New South Wales are referred to as a Penal Colony. This is due to the fact that New South Wales was mainly habited by convicts who were imprisoned in the prisons which the British had just constricted, the marines who were working for the British Army and the wives and families of the marines. However, some few European settlers started to arrive in New South Wales in the year 1793. Giving a chronological account of the events which occurred in Australia in this period of time, one can start by pointing out that James set foot in Australia in 1770. While acting under the instructions from King George the 2nd who was by then the King to England, Lieutenant James Cook claimed control of the East Coast of Australia. About 18 years later, Captain Arthur Philip who would later become Britain’s Governor to Australasia arrived in the famous first fleet at the Botany Bay. The time of his arrival is believed to be between the 18th and 20th days of January 1788. The land there was found unsuitable for human settlement which made to the relocation of the first fleet to Port Jackson on the 26th day of January 1788. At this point in time, Governor Philip carried out instruction by the British givernmmnet to establish a colony in Australia. The first fleet comprised of 11 ships and about 1350 people. In 1790, the second fleet arrived at Australia. The fleet was later to be crowned the fleet of death owing to the high number of deaths. In the 2nd fleet, 148 people died as compared to 48 who died in the first fleet. At this time, the young Australian colony relied heavily on the establishment of farms in addition to the trade of food with the Aboriginals. During this time, the engagement between the Aboriginals and the Europeans was good. It was merely based on trade of food, water, cloth, axes and various artifacts. However, this relationship was to turn sour in the events which unfolded thereafter. In the year 1791, the Albany region was claimed by George Vancouver under instruction from King George the 3rd. in the year 1801, Mathew Flinders came and was involved in several activities which were aimed at ensuring that Britain affirmed its control on the young colony. He took the famous voyage to Arnhem Land in the company of two Aborigines, a voyage which is as at today recorded on the paintings of the European ships and Praus on the famous Aborigine rock art sites. Overtime, it came to the attention of the indigenous people that the white settlers were taking their land; one which they had relied on for their survival, over the years. This led to numerous riots and resistance moves which aimed at barring the British settlement. Other reputable voyages which aimed at surveying the Australian land for British settlement included the Budle and Bundell voyage in 1821, and the George Williams voyage to survey the Jervis Bay in 1812. Towards the end of the early years of colonialism in Australian which were marked by the exit of Macquarie and the establishment of the New South Wales Parliament, white settlement in Australia was not deep (Castles 1982,p. 9). However, after 1823, the establishment of Ban Diemen’s land, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and Northern colonies saw the full invasion of Australia by the whites and the ill treatment of the indigenous people which was market by several injustices. 2.2 impact of the European Invasion and Settlement on the Aboriginal People. During the implementation of King Georges the 2nd instruction to claim Australia in the year 1788 by Governor Philip, there was a clear instruction to respect and maintain peace with the indigenous communities (Australian Government 2013a p.1). As per the instructions, the Aborigines were regarded to as subjects to Britain and were entitled to the protection of the British Legislation. However the reality on the ground was different to the policies on paper. The Aboriginals were subjected to several injustices which led to a lot of suffering. One of the major impacts which the early invasion and settlement by the British on Australian soil was the grabbing of land from the Aborigines (Aborigine Heritage 2013, p.1). On this point, it is important to note that the Aborigines have a close relationship with land. Ideally, Land in their culture is a symbol of health. From the land, the aborigines got their food, their medicines, their sacred sites and their shelter among all other necessities which they needed in life. However, they were slowly losing their access to land as the British invaded Australia and declared it as a Terra Nullius, which implied that Australian land was owned by none. Secondly, the European invasion and settlement in Australia introduced a new set of diseases to the Aboriginals which did not exist previously (Working Together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their Communities 2012, p.1). One of the major diseases which were introduced by the European settlers was small pox. Owing to the fact that the disease was foreign, the Aborigines did not have the immunity against it, neither did they have any medication to cure it. Small pox led to the death of numerous Aborigines in Australia. Another impact of the European invasion in Australia was the assimilation of the Aborigines into the western cultures. The British did not have a high regard for the Aboriginal culture. They expected that the natives would assimilate into the European culture. The resistance against European invasion and settlement by the Aboriginals also led to deaths of many. The settlers approached the frontier battles with a lot of force and owing to their superior weapons, they were able to suppress the natives and in the way killing a large number of them (Working Together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their Communities 2012, p.1). On this point, the killing of so many Aboriginals by the Europeans is believed to be one of the cases of the reduced native populations, in addition to disease. 2.3 Life imposed on Marines, Convicts and Free settlers in New Land of New South Wales The British initially regarded to Australia as a Penal land. It was meant to provide land for British prisoners. However, the British later found that Australia had good land for European settlement (Australian Government 2013b., p.1). The prisoners were used to provide labor to the British as they carried out their construction and farming activities in Australia. Ideally, the prisoners were imposed on a life of hard labor. They were also subjected to various harsh conditions in the young colony. On the other hand, the marines were to carry out Britain’s military activities in the land. Generally, most of the Marines were service men, and were instructed to use force against the natives, an action which led to a high death toll rate (ASA Group 2012, p.1). The free settlers settled on the Aboriginal land, driving them out of the fertile lands. Moreover, they denied the Aboriginals the right to own land, an injustice which led to their suffering. During the initial years of settlement, there was high degree of gender imbalance, 4 male to 1 female which made it hard to settle in the new land. All in all, the life imposed by the convicts, the marines and the free settlers in the new land of NSW led to the suffering of the Aborigines in the hands of the white men. 2.4 Role and Achievement of Governors The role of the Governors was to propagate Britain’s interest in Australia. Phillips was the first British Governor in Australia. His main role was to establish Britain’s presence in Australia. Philips was responsible for the Penal colony and oversaw settlement of the first, second and third fleets. He also started some sort of civil administration in the country. Next was the Lachlan Macquarie reign as NSW’s governor. The main role of Macquarie was to advance British’s interests in securing land in NSW. His achievements were in the transformation of the economic, architectural and social spheres of NSW. To this, he is given the title, ‘ the Father of Australia’ (Lewis, R., 2010, p.3). He was also responsible for the plans of transforming NSW from the Penal colony which it was to a British colony in 1823 when NSW had its first parliament. After Macquarie came other governors whose role was to administer the British colonies. 2.5 People Who Influenced Colony in NSW People who had great influence on the colony of NSW included James Cook, Arthur Philips, Mathew Flinders, Bundle and Blundell and Macquarie who have been discussed previously in this paper (Broome 1988, p.6). Other influential people include Joseph Banks who gave Botany Bay its name owing to the type of plants found there (Sue, E., 2009, p.63). Another person who influenced the NSW colony greatly was Lord Sydney who saw the need for the military and trade in NSW, hence contributing to British settlement in the country. 2.6 Effects of Colonization on the Identity of Modern NSW Colonization left many permanent marks on NSW which are today used as identities to the state. One of its effects can be seen on the geographical coverage of NSW. The present frontier borders are as a result of the colonization. The driving out of the Aboriginals from NSW greatly reduced their population in the region (Australian War Memorial 2013, p.1). As at now, their population is still low and they are mainly found in the non productive regions of NSW. The arrival of the first fleet is also commemorated in NSW and Australia at large. 26th January has been named Australia Day (Hardiman 2009, p.9). As at today, Australia boasts of its existence which was realized after the uniting of the various colonies, NSW included, making the present Australia. The racism in the country is also a mark of colonization (Ack 2012, p.4) 3.0 Conclusion Concluding, it can be seen from this paper that colonization had a great impact on Australia. The paper has focused on the early years of colonization which saw the arrival of Governor Phillips in the first fleet up to 1822, during Macquarie’s administration. In the essay, it has been found out that arrival of the British was the onset of the historical injustices and suffering of the Aboriginal people. The repot has identified that the British pushed the Aboriginals of from their native land, an act which led to suffering. In addition to this, the British invasion brought with it foreign diseases for instance small pox, which were responsible for the deaths of numerous indigenous people. The use of excessive force in the frontier battles has also been identified as one of the impacts of the British invasion. The paper has also touched on the negative impact of the European invasion on the aboriginal cultures. In order for the British to carry out their activities in the colony, they engaged governor administration on the penal colony. Governors Phillips and Macquarie were very effective in the early years of European colonization. Towards the end, the report has identified several influential people in NSW’s colonization and also the impacts of the colonization on NSW’s identity. Summing up, it can be concluded that colonization had a great impact on Australia and many of them are still evident in the modern day. References Australian Government, 2013. European Discovery and the Colonization of Australia, Australian Government, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from < http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/european-discovery-and-colonisation> Australian Government, 2013a. 3. Aboriginal Societies: The Experience of Contact, Australian Government, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from < http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/3.%20Aboriginal%20Societies%3A%20The%20Experience%20of%20Contact/changing-policies-towards-aboriginal > Australian Government, 2013b. Convicts and the British Colonies Australia, Australian Government, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from < http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/convicts-and-the-british-colonies > Aborigine Heritage, 2013. A Brief Aboriginal History, Aboriginal Heritage, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from < http://www.aboriginalheritage.org/history/history/ > Ack, T., 2012. Who is to Blame for Racism in Australia? Marxist Left Review, Vol. 4, no.1, pp. 2-12 ASA Group, 2012. Australian History, ASA Group, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from Australian War Memorial, 2013. Colonial Period, 1788-1901, Australian War Memorial, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from < http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/colonial.asp > Battison, L., 2011. Lock of Hair Pins Down Early Migration of Aborigines, BBC News, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15020799 > Broome, R., 1988. The struggle for Australia: Aboriginal–European warfare, 1770–1930", in M. McKernan and M. Browne (eds), Australia: Two Centuries Of War And Peace Canberra: Australian War Memorial and Allen and Unwin, Sydney Castles, A., 1982. An Australian Legal History, Law Book Company, Sydney. Hardiman, R. 2009. Celebrating Australia Day: Unwrapping "The Great Southland of the Holy Spirirt.Pastoral Liturgy, Vol. 39, no.1; 9-12. Lewis, R., 2010. Lachlan MacQuaries, The Father OF Australia, pp.1-13 Sue, E., 2009. Joseph Banks And The Continuing Influence Of European Colonization On Australian Herbal Practice’, Australian Journal Of Medical Herbalist, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 63-65. Working Together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their Communities, 2012. Growing in Understanding: History, Retrieved on 31st March 2012 from Read More