Racism
Racism existed between European and Aboriginal people and Chinese gold diggers in the 19th century Australia. This can be shown through evidence such and the discrimination and persecution towards these different races.
In 1788 the British arrived in Australia in order to set up a new penal colony. Although the Aboriginals had been living on the land for 50,000 years before the Europeans discovered the land as terra nullius and claimed it as their own. The Chinese arrived in Australia in 1853, two years after the discovery of gold. The Chinese flocked to Australia in search of wealth to send back home to their families.
Conflicts have occurred between the Aboriginals and European settlers ever since their arrival. The conflicts between the two races have mainly been over land ownership, language barriers and cultural differences. In 19th Century Australia there were no penalties for those who murdered or brutally harmed the Aboriginal people. It is estimated that during the first century after arrival, the indigenous people population decreased from 1 million to 0.01 million. The Myall Creek Massacre occurred in1838 and clearly outlines the relationship between the Europeans and Aborigines. A group of European settlers set out and murdered a tribe of 30 Aboriginals for supposedly scaring their cattle. The men initially weren’t going to be prosecuted for murder until a European bystander reported the murder to the government. The majority of the British settlers were horrified that the men were going to be charged for murdering Aboriginals as they only though of as menaces and of little importance. The government were also very racist, as it did not include the indigenous as part of the population.
In the second half of the 19th century there was a lot of racism detected towards the Chinese diggers. On a daily basis the Chinese would receive racist comments whilst working on the goldfields. The Europeans disliked the Chinese for their cultural differences.
In 1788 the British arrived in Australia in order to set up a new penal colony. Although the Aboriginals had been living on the land for 50,000 years before the Europeans discovered the land as terra nullius and claimed it as their own. The Chinese arrived in Australia in 1853, two years after the discovery of gold. The Chinese flocked to Australia in search of wealth to send back home to their families.
Conflicts have occurred between the Aboriginals and European settlers ever since their arrival. The conflicts between the two races have mainly been over land ownership, language barriers and cultural differences. In 19th Century Australia there were no penalties for those who murdered or brutally harmed the Aboriginal people. It is estimated that during the first century after arrival, the indigenous people population decreased from 1 million to 0.01 million. The Myall Creek Massacre occurred in1838 and clearly outlines the relationship between the Europeans and Aborigines. A group of European settlers set out and murdered a tribe of 30 Aboriginals for supposedly scaring their cattle. The men initially weren’t going to be prosecuted for murder until a European bystander reported the murder to the government. The majority of the British settlers were horrified that the men were going to be charged for murdering Aboriginals as they only though of as menaces and of little importance. The government were also very racist, as it did not include the indigenous as part of the population.
In the second half of the 19th century there was a lot of racism detected towards the Chinese diggers. On a daily basis the Chinese would receive racist comments whilst working on the goldfields. The Europeans disliked the Chinese for their cultural differences.