Making a nation

Question 1

What kind of convicts were transported?

Answer 1

• Most convicts being transported were sentenced for mid-range crimes (theft+forgery)
• Minor crimes (prostitution) weren’t transportable offences.
• Major crimes (murder+rape) resulted in execution
• Convicts sentenced to death often had their sentences commuted (changed) to transportation

Question 2

Transportation process

Answer 2

• Most convicts first spent some time in Newgate Prison in London.
• Then they were transported to “Hulks”- decommissioned navy ships along the River Thames. The prisoners awaited their transportation in these.
• Most transports were run by former slaves (slavery was abolished in 1833 in the UK)

Question 3

Death rates on the ship

Answer 3

• Death rates on the ship were high
• An average of 10-15% of convicts did not survive the journey
• this was not as catastrophic as slave ships

Question 4

1st Fleet

Answer 4

1788

Question 5

Governor Arthur Phillip

Answer 5

Commanded the 1st fleet

He founded NSW and became the first governor of the colony

Question 6

Challenges faced upon arrival

Answer 6

FOOD
-Farming failed in the first few years
- the settlers had trouble hunting and fishing in the strange landscape that was new to them.
TOO MUCH ALCOHOL+GENDER IMBALANCE
-Led to a menacing environment, especially for women.

Question 7

Cooperation with aboriginals

Answer 7

Gov. Arthur Phillip encouraged cooperation with the aboriginal as was the official British policy. He even abducted an Eora man named Bennelong to act as an interpreter.

Question 8

Rum Corps

Answer 8

-officers of the NSW corps who quickly established a monopoly on the trade of rum. They also took control of allocation of land, often using it to their own advantage.

Question 9

Joseph Foveaux

Answer 9

Took command of Norfolk Island, transforming it into a hellish punishment colony for convicts who had committed crimes after arriving in Botany Bay.

Question 10

Emancipation

Answer 10

• When convicts had served their sentence, they could become emancipated (freed)
• Most freed convicts stayed in Australia because of the high cost of the trip back to Europe and the opportunities the country had to offer

Question 11

Immigration

Answer 11

• occurred between the time frame of 1810-1850
• People began to voluntarily immigrate to Australia once the period of hunger and conflict had ended which had resulted in a rapid increase of the Australian economy.

Question 12

Merino Wool Industry

Answer 12

• helped in the rising economy.
• Sheep farms expanded across NSW and the wool was exported to British textile factories.
• Generated enormous profit for landowners.

Question 13

Push factors of the UK

Answer 13

• Certain factors of the UK (urban+rural poverty, the Irish potato famine -1845-1852- and inequality) made Australia a very attractive place for migration.
• The first wave of settlers were from England and Ireland and by 1850, the number of free settlers outnumbered convicts

Question 14

Gold

Answer 14

• discovered in Australia in 1851

- Triggered an explosion of immigration both from the British empire and Asian countries.

Question 15

Gold rush economy wise

Answer 15

Gold rush brought an injection of money to the already booming economy. It brought wealth, especially to the developing settlements in Victoria.

Question 16

Chinese miners

Answer 16

• Chinese were the first non-European immigrants to come to Australia so they encountered racism.
• Chinese miners were much more efficient and hard-working which led to envy and resentment.
• The Europeans also objected to the fact that the Chinese sent whatever gold they found back to their families in China rather than investing it locally.
• This racism led to race riots and the passing of several laws that heavily taxed and discriminated against the Chinese.

Question 17

Bushrangers

Answer 17

• 1850-1890
• criminals who made their living robbing travellers, banks etc. They hid from the authorities in the bush and consisted mostly of escaped convicts or first generation Australian-born whites.
• The beginning of the gold rush made being a bush ranger more attractive. Gold was a good target because, once smelted, it was impossible to trace.

Question 18

Australian society-class divide

Answer 18

-Australian society had a huge class divide between convicts and their descendants (mostly Irish Catholics) and free settlers and their descendants (mostly English Protestants).

Question 19

What do people think of bushrangers?

Answer 19

• For some, they have become ‘folk heroes’ embodying the Australian character of freedom and the spirit of adventure
• others think thieves and killers should not be celebrated.

Question 20

Reasons for starting the colony- population

Answer 20

• IR lead to a massive increase and concentration of the population in cities which created a great income gap between the rich and the poor.
• This meant a massive crime wave. The British became terrified of the urban poor.
• At the same time, execution was being used less as a form of punishment for minor crimes
• They chose Botany Bay to be a penal (prison) colony

Question 21

Governor Arthur Phillip

Answer 21

• commander of the First Fleet
• Became the first governor of NSW
• Wanted free settlers to come to Australia and begin an empire, separated from the convicts

Question 22

William Bligh

Answer 22

• Made captain of ‘HMS Bounty’ and travelled to Tahiti to collect Breadfruit.
• Made governor of NSW
• Tried to control the alcohol business of the army officers who had a monopoly on bringing alcohol into the country.
• At this time, alcohol was being used as a form of money.

Question 23

John Macarthur

Answer 23

• Brought the wool industry to Australia.

- Most powerful officer in the corps

Question 24

John Foveaux

Answer 24

• took command of Norfolk Island

- Transformed it into a hellish punishment colony for convicts who had committed crimes after arriving in Australia.

Question 25

Rum Rebellion

Answer 25

• 1808
• 400 NSW corps soldiers arrested Gov. William Bligh
• William was the last naval officer to be appointed governor.
• He drew resentment from the corps and landowners when he tightened government control over visiting ships and their cargos
• Macarthur was opposed to him and when he prohibited alcohol as a currency, this heated a revolt.

Question 26

Indigenous conflict

Answer 26

• Different for each group to understand each other, culturally and spiritually.
• At first, the Indigenous groups kept their distance and the two groups co-existed on the land with little conflict.
• In 1789 in hope of improving relationships, Gov. Arthur Phillip became interested in communicating with the Aboriginals and so he took Bennelong in. After being greatly influenced by the English culture, Bennelong found it difficult to return to his old life and so he became involved in crime.
• The indigenous people became the Europeans’ guides, showing and helping the newcomers around the country.
• But the Europeans did not understand the Indigenous relationship with the land (terra nullius) so this generated anger.
• Many convicts were taken in by Indigenous groups when they ran from the Europeans.
• The behaviour of the Europeans lead the Aboriginals to think they were greedy, especially with land.

Question 27

Indigenous conflict- Tasmania

Answer 27

in 1930, Gov. Arthur devised a plan to capture all the Aboriginals in south-east Tasmania.
-Many of the Indigenous people found were sent to the Flinder Island Settlement and eventually sent back to Tasmania.