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European Colonisation and Conflict

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European Colonisation and Conflict

Read the source and timeline, then answer each question. Use evidence from the material and consider whose perspective is represented.

In 1788, a British fleet arrived at Warrane (Sydney Cove) and established a penal colony. Britain wanted a place to send people convicted of crimes after losing access to its American colonies. The new settlement also strengthened British influence in the Pacific. These aims did not make the land unoccupied. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had lived across the continent for tens of thousands of years, with distinct Countries, laws, languages and systems of caring for land and waters. British authorities treated the territory as available for settlement without making a treaty with its First Nations peoples. The legal idea later called terra nullius—Latin for “land belonging to no one”—was used to deny Indigenous ownership. This ignored the continuing relationships, governance and responsibilities First Nations peoples held to Country. The colony’s expansion brought competition over land and resources. Settlers cleared land and established farms; First Nations communities continued to access important places, food sources and pathways. Disease, dispossession and violence caused severe harm. First Nations peoples also resisted invasion and defended their communities and Country. Experiences differed between places and over time, so there was no single story of colonisation or conflict.

Date

Event

1770

James Cook charts the east coast for Britain and claims it for the Crown.

1788

The First Fleet establishes a British penal colony at Warrane (Sydney Cove).

1790s

The settlement expands; conflict and resistance occur as British occupation affects local Aboriginal communities.

Read and interpret

Check the source and chronology before answering.

1.Choose the two motives for establishing the colony that are supported by the source.

To send convicted people to a penal colony
To strengthen British influence in the Pacific
To find gold immediately
To make a treaty with every First Nations group

2.Which event came first in the chronology, and how many years before the First Fleet’s arrival did it occur?

3.In the source, what does terra nullius mean, and what did this idea fail to recognise?

4.Complete the chain using the source: British settlement expanded → settlers cleared land and established farms → . Give one effect on First Nations communities.

5.True or false: The source says that all First Nations communities experienced colonisation in exactly the same way. Correct the statement.

TrueFalse

6.Explain one difference between the British authorities’ approach to land and First Nations peoples’ relationships with Country, as described in the source.

7.Select three factors from the source that contributed to conflict or harm during colonisation.

Competition over land and resources
Settlers clearing land and restricting access to places and food sources
The arrival of disease and violence
A treaty agreed to by all First Nations peoples

8.What does the source say First Nations peoples did in response to invasion? Explain why including this detail matters in a history account.

9.In a short paragraph, explain why British colonisation of Australia led to conflict. Include one British aim, one impact on First Nations peoples and one example of resistance or a different relationship with land.

10.Identify one detail from the source that helps explain why describing Australia as “empty” is historically inaccurate.