Australian history by Rosse Mary

• The beginning

European convicts sent to Australia.

In 19th century, the goverments of Britain decided to send their convicts to a continent who today is known like Australia, as a punishment to their crimes. Those criminals - mostly stealers - were sent in ships, like the "First fleet", and they were travelling a lot of months to fight for their freedom. The most of these criminals were Scotish, Irish and British, and they had to work hard to be pardomed. This price could have given in two forms: Absolute - that were a ticket to come back to their home - or Conditional - that was a big piece of land of their propiety to work and stablish in New Saouth Wales. 

With the pass of months, the passingers of the ships were felt hungry and they were showed another neededs, because the most of them were men, so then, in the middle ot the trip, near from Africa, some men started to find black women to satisfied their neededs and their children, whose father were white and their mother were black, started to be called "the Half-Caste". 

Aboriginal australians.

When Europeans arrived to Australia, after a lot of them died by hungry and other illness, they saw to Aboriginal people for the first time. Some of the white people strarted to kill them, but other ones strarted a paceful relationship, in order to have servants, but, at the same time, Europeans convicts always felt fear of this new kind of people and they saw them like a threat, but white people were still thinking in work hard on the fields to reach the forgiveness of the British Goverment or to set up in the new land.

• Social Darwinism

Australian stolen Generation.

However, once white settlers were established in Australia, they realized aboriginal women were paceful and they started to have children again, but those children were taken from their real mothers to be like their fathers and they were raised for white families. They started to deny their aboriginal heritage. Children started to be adopted by white and rich families who sent them to the school and started to teach the white modals and lifestyle. But, moreover, a lot of those children were victims of mistreatment, because of their origins - they didn't complete their education and were left or died of hungry and dangerous illness -. It produced the death of a big part of this generation and that was the reason why they were called "The stolen Generation".

In 2008, the Australian First Minister apologized for all the crimes commited agnaist the children of the Stolen Genaration and australian people created the "Sorry Day" in memory of them. Here is a vídeo that shows how some members of this generation were treated by white people, especifically the Val Linnow's testimony: Watch vídeo.

Everything started because white settlers believed - following the science of those times - that aboriginal people were weak and inferior than theirs. This way of thinking was called "Social darwinism2, because it was a misunderstanding of the Darwin's evolutionist Theory, and  that was the reason why they wanted to "protect" aborigins through an act , but it was a lie. Also white people started to move on the north of the continent in order to "escape" to aborigins, but they only had problems like alcoholism and drogadiction, so this false paradise was left.This social darwinism increased with the discovery of gold in Australia, and white people became racist, powerful and rich.

• The secret River

The australian writer Kate Grenville published, in 2005, "The secret river". This novel talks about a british family who was sent to Australia and learned how to live there. They also met aboriginal people and the book shows how the white settlers saw aborigins and how it chaged with the pass of months. This is explained in the next line that is talked about a black man was called Scabby Bill: "he was the same as the ants or the flies, a hazard of the place that had to be dealt with" (The secret river, page 91). Also we can see the social darwinism of those times in the next lines: "Men came from all the streets around, cheered to watch this black insect of a man capering before them, a prerson lower in the order of things even that they were" (The secret river, page 92). 

In adition, Stolen Generation survivers talked about their mistreatment in official documents that are in power of the Australian Goverment, like the one that was written by Gilbert, K, about the aboriginal people in special camps: there was like institution that were created by the Goverment in order to "educate" half-caste children as their European heritages. In the first part of the first Act - that was created to "protect" aboriginal people - says "The thing was, it wasn't good to see these little parts of breed running around the black camps because you didn't know who to blame...So they came out with all these sincerest motices, you know...to give these poor little devlis a chance in life". (Introduction to Australian history, page 113).

In these days, although the mistreatment and the social darwinism aparently have gone, people still think that some aboriginal people - not only in Australia, but in others parts of our world, too - are weak and inferior than white European or their descendents from the West side of the world and the duty of white people is "protect them", but they survived a lot of centuries before that European settlers arrived to Australia or America and they didn't need any help. Another case like the Australian is the Mapuche in Chile, because white people (who are mostly part of the Half-caste) look them in a bad way and, by another hand, the chilean Goverment creates documents in favor of them, but, there are only apparience, because mapuche people are still suffering injustices and discrimination. I really ask why this is happening in the 21st Century; why are we following the wrong Social Darwinism? I let you this question to create a debate.

I hope you like this post. Thank you for reading.