Port Phillip Research Paper

1202 Words5 Pages
Invasion or Settlement Essay 2011 ‘The early years of Port Phillip were a mixture – peaceful settlement, violent confrontation and attempts by both Europeans and Aborigines to fit in with each other’s’ ways.’ To what extent do you think this is an accurate depiction of the early history of the Port Phillip District? The settlement of the Australian colonies in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries could hardly be described as ‘a peaceful confrontation with the aboriginal society’. Between the periods of 1788 until the 1820s, the Australian civilization was faced with unexpected problems, forcing the aborigines to struggle for their very survival. Some of the clashes that emerged within the settlements of New South Wales and…show more content…
And as the warfare advanced, 2,500 European settlers and police died and 20,000 Aboriginal inhabitants are believed to have been killed, while many thousands more died from disease and other unintended consequences of settlement. The deliberate ill treatment of Aboriginal people, the horrific impact of European diseases and the introduction of alcohol all contributed to a breakdown of Aboriginal society. When their tribal lifestyle was destroyed, the Aborigines came to live on the edge of European settlement, begging and taking up the worst European habits. Europeans saw this as evidence of their backwardness. On the other hand, if Aborigines took up weapons to defend their land, they were seen as evil savages who needed to be taught a lesson. Many young aboriginals were taken as slaves to the British. They were held and ‘trained’ until they were ‘respectable’ and ‘knew the rules of the house.’ Many of the Aborigines were treated badly and not fed often. “I picked up a boy from under a log, took him home and tamed him, and he became very useful to me, and I think was the means of deterring his tribe from committing further wonton depredations upon my…show more content…
Instead, they merely thought that blacks didn’t have any beliefs. The British saw themselves as a Christian civilising force, and tried to teach them Christianity. This was a time of uncertainty, where the Europeans treated the Aborigines with disrespect, which led to the First Australians having a low standing in white society. The nomadism of the Aborigine made it easy to believe that one area of land was as good as another to the indigenous people. This led to more conflict. The British wanted the land for cultivation and the Aborigines wanted the land for sacred purposes. They were two completely different reasons. Whilst the landing of the British was extremely violent, the colonists and the indigenous people found some peace in the settlement. The statement ‘The early years of Port Phillip were a mixture – peaceful settlement, violent confrontation and attempts by both Europeans and Aborigines to fit in with each other’s’ ways’ is very accurate as it shows all the different sides of the
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