THEME 4 THE BIRTH OF AUSSIE Flashcards
HOW DID THE FIRST BRITISH PENAL COLONY IN AUSTRALIA DEVELOP AS A SETTLEMENT?
- 1788 the first fleet sailed into Botany Bay which consisted of convicts, seamen, ex marine officials.
- Sailed 253 days with no ships lost and only 69 deaths.
- They landed and realised that Botany Bay lacked fertile land and water hence they sailed out again to Sydney cove.
- the land had been found by Cook’s expedition 17 years prior
Why did the british choose to establish life there?
-The main reason was because the penal system in England was overcrowded and Judges had to pardon murderers and rapists because they were crowded.this was because of urbanisation and slum poverty meant an increased level of crime. intro of sending the ppl to America eased the crisis.
Furthermore, the loss at the American War of independence meant that they needed another place to send their convicts to serve their term. Pitt government decided this land to be the chosen one - the cost of fitting out the fleet cost 84,000
-they also needed to establish territory incase of a French invasion to territory- weight can be applied to Norfolk Island which was 877 miles from Sydney which was positive in its pine trees and flax - crucial to ship building.
WHO WERE THE FIRST BRITISH SETTLERS
- approx 1,420 people boarded the first fleet in Portsmouth - 775 of whom were convicts 14 children born to convict mothers
- 732 convicts landed - 543 men and 189 women - youngest was Hudson aged 9 who had 7 years for stealing.
- two thirds for minor theft
- women for theft and prossies
- English Scots American and blacks.
OTHERS? - marine officials and their families seamen and civil officials. marines were under the command of sir Robert ross - they were disinclined to do anything but military duties.
The initial settlement
- Botany Bay was chosen on the advice Joseph Banks the botanist who accompanied the cook expedition however the settlement seemed bizarre as it was not a fertile land the soil was not good for cultivation.
- Thus there was a move into Sydney cove - larger and also was a fertile land]
- Task of controlling the colony was hard however Phillip managed to control the convicts as well as the settlers through harsh punishments. his task was to build adequate shelter etc.
- He allocated work that he saw best for the convicts, by the time he sailed for the britain - everyone was rudimentary wattle and daub dwelling and there was a brick built house for the governor.
- 66 grants of land had been made 53 to those whose convictions had been spent. 1,000 acres of land in public cultivation and 516 private cultivation too. His powers were absolute and he sentenced to death where he saw best - he also spent the govt spending to buy extra supplies when waiting for the relief ships.
PHILLIP COULD BE CREDITED BECAUSE .. PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY
-Phillip’s preparation for equipping the first fleet was thorough - evidenced by the low death record which was only 3% on those sailing on the first fleet and the survival rate for the first fleet was high too.
ESTABLISHING A SECOND COLONY AT NORFOLK ISLAND
- phillip decided to send 183 convicts and 28 children and 81 marines to which had potential of flax making and ship building and trading posts for the british –> there was a larger level of survival there. It was a softer option than sydney because it was the habitat of the mutton bird until it had been eaten by the colony. however this allowed rationing to take place in sydeny cove which improved survival rates.
Phillips control over food stores
Rations to be equally shared however this was hated by the marines regardless it was critical for the communities survival. Food was meagre but enough to tide. until the arrival of the second fleet –> rationing was then fair. hours of convict labour had to be cut at the same time as the ration was really too small to sustain manual labour.
Relocation to a better farmland
THE SECOND FLEET
IRISH PRISONERS
MACQUARIE
HOW DID THE MACQUARIE CHANGE THE COLONY
CONVICT EXPERIENCE
