The Impact That International Events Had On The Aboriginal Rights Movement

Long before the Europeans had any plans to colonise Australia, the indigenous peoples of the continent explored, settled, and successfully inhabited areas that later were silent witnesses to failed European expeditions. By some accounts, aborigines may have been in Australia for as long as sixty thousand years. From a pre-colonisation high of roughly 750,000 inhabitants and more than 500 linguistic groups, by 1901 Australia’s first pioneers and colonisers amounted to less than one percent of the total population. The decline in Aboriginal population occurred with the arrival of the Europeans as a result of disease, starvation, and violent conflict. This conflict stemmed from the European’s racial prejudices. As time went on, these racial
The twentieth century marked a new era for Aboriginal rights as it brought about changes in several policies, ultimately resulting in an increase of rights for Aboriginal people. There were several significant people, events, and policies that contributed to the development of Aboriginal rights in the twentieth century. Events such as the New South Wales Freedom Rides were crucial to the development of Aboriginal rights. This sparked the discussion about Aboriginal rights, which led to policies such as the 1967 Referendum. Furthermore, the work of Aboriginal activists was crucial to the development of Aboriginal rights. In addition to the events that took place in Australia, it is important to note the impact that international events had on the Aboriginal rights movement. As a result of the work done by Aboriginal activists, the 1967 Referendum, and the New South Wales Freedom Rides there were several changes that resulted in an increase in rights for Aboriginal people during the twentieth century. However, it is important to acknowledge that the discrimination against Aboriginal people did not cease with these changes. Although there have been tremendous strides made in Aboriginal affairs, there is still much progress to be made in regards to the treatment of Aboriginal
Briscoe’s memoir recounts the hardships he faced as an Aboriginal man living in the mid-twentieth century. Briscoe wrote his memoir because he felt that he needed to “document the history of a group of Aborigines who were instituionalised from birth but saw liberty, equality, and fraternity as more important than notoriety.” Furthermore, Briscoe felt that if he did not provide an accurate account of Aboriginal life, then the Aboriginal people and their experiences would be subject to misrepresentation from a non-Aboriginal writer. Additionally, Briscoe hoped to “capture the essence of what was happening in the Broader sense in Aboriginal Affairs” as he shared his personal experiences with monumental events in Aboriginal history. Briscoe conveyed these hardships as he shared his personal experiences with discrimination ultimately providing the general public with insight into that the Aboriginal people went though. He began his memoir by sharing his feelings and memories of when he was removed from his home in the Northern Territory. Briscoe says that “it was very hot and the dust and smells coming from the unfamiliar military trucks were strong in [his] nostrils.” He was then loaded into cattle trucks with his family and many others to make the long journey to Quorn. He told of the commotion he saw as he witnessed “Aboriginal people being pushed, with their