Lieutenant James Cook explored Australia's east coast in 1770 and claimed it for Britain. Due to overcrowded prisons, Britain established the first penal colony in Australia in 1788. Over time, British settlers took land from Aboriginal people, spreading disease and conflict. The British assimilation policies devastated Aboriginal culture and population. By 1901, Australia became a self-governing British dominion, gaining full independence over time.

1. Mrs. Sample
6th Grade
Social Studies

2. Lieutenant James Cook
• In 1770, James Cook explored the east coast of Australia.
He realized this area could support a settlement. He
claimed Australia for the British Crown.

3. • Australia was portrayed as a remote and
unattractive land for European settlement.
• However, after the Revolutionary War, Great Britain
lost the 13 colonies which were used to host
prisoners. Prisons again became overcrowded.
• James Cook’s findings proved to come at a perfect
time. An island would be a great place to set up
prison settlement in Australia.

4. • Britain moved quickly in 1783 and established its
first settlement in Australia.
• In 1787, eleven ships carrying 1,450 passengers
began the voyage to colonize Australia. On January
21, 1788, they founded the first settlement and
named it Sydney.

6. Prison Colonies
• 1787 – British ships
called the “First Fleet”
left England with
convicts to establish a
prison colony at Port
Jackson – convicts
settled in 1788.

7. Founding of Port Jackson
The History of Australia

8. Convicts Take Over
Australia
• The British experienced overcrowding in their prison system and
sought to solve the problem by sentencing their prisoners to
“transportation” -- Australia. The British made Australia into a
penal (prison) colony.
• The British believed the best form of punishment was manual
labor. From 1810, convicts were seen as a source of labor to
advance and develop the British colony. Here they founded a
system of labor in which people, whatever their crime, were
employed according to their skills.
• Convict labor was used to develop the public facilities of the
colonies - roads, bridges, courthouses, and hospitals. Convicts
also worked for free settlers and small land holders.
• Convicts had specialized jobs as carpenters, farmers, nurses, and
masons.

9. This Land is My Land!
• Free settlers began arriving in New South Wales
colony in 1973.
• Settlers were hoping to find wealth and land in
the New World.
• British settlers traveled through the outback and
sailed around the island- many died at the hands
of the aborigines or lack of water.
• Those who survived realized the importance of
befriending the aborigine people and following
their knowledge of how to survive off the land.

10. • As new places were discovered, new colonies
were formed.
• The four main colonies:
– Van Diemen’s Island (later Tasmania) was a penal
colony.
– Western Australia
– South Australia
– New South Wales
• The growing number of British settlers and
colonists began creating issues with the
Aborigines.

11. Conflicts with the Aborigines
• Once prisoners finished serving
their sentences, Great Britain gave
them Australian land to settle.
• This policy of giving away land
brought the Europeans into conflict
with the Aborigines people.
• Settlers claimed land once
belonging to the Aborigines and
many Aborigine were shot, killed,
or imprisoned if they trespassed on
white settler land.

12. •White settlers drove the
Conflicts with Aborigines from their sacred
the Aborigines land.
• White settlers usually took the
best land that held valuable
resources needed for survival.
•The Aborigine were forced to
survive on even smaller supplies
of food, and were steadily
reduced in number by starvation
and the lack of water.

13. Effects of British Colonization
British Weapons Diseases
• The aborigines did try to • Diseases were more
fight back, but their dangerous than guns.
spears were no match for
• British brought over small
the guns of the British.
pox, influenza, and
• During the 1880s, the tuberculosis.
Australian government
• Disease spread rapidly
made it legal for settlers
killing the close to half the
to use force against the
population.
aborigines
• Many natives were
brutally killed.

14. Assimilation
• In 1901, the British made laws against the Aborigines
– They limited where Aborigines could live and work.
– The government took some Aboriginal children from their
homes. Some of them were raised by European settlers.
– The children lost contact with their parents and Aboriginal
culture.
• The goal was to end Aboriginal culture because the
British feared the Aboriginal people.

15. Assimilation
• Aborigine people left could choose to
assimilate into the Australian culture.
• Many times they were forced into poverty and
mistreated by the colonists.
• Many worked low-paying jobs as stock hands
or laborers.
• By the 1900s, only 2% of the population was
Aborigines.
• In 2008, the Prime Minister apologized to the
Aborigines on behalf of all Australians.

16. Australia’s On Its Own
(Well, sort of)
• On January 1, 1901, the colonies were
federated.
• This was the birth of the Commonwealth of
Australia, a Dominion of the British Empire.

17. Australia’s On Its Own
(Well, sort of)
• The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was
created from New South Wales in 1911 for the
new capital of Canberra.

18. Australia’s On Its Own
(Well, sort of)
• Australia willingly participated in World War I
as a member of the British Empire.
• The Australian and New Zealand army was
defeated in WWI and some believe that is the
true freedom of the Nation.

19. Oceania in WWII
• WWII was the first time that Australia’s
security was threatened.
• Japan invaded the territory of Australia.
• This was the first time Australians fought and
died repelling an invader on Australian soil
without the support or presence of the United
Kingdom.

20. Oceania in WWII
• Oceania was the sight of the Pacific Campaign
fought between American and Japanese
forces, using a technique called island-
hopping.
• The most important battles of the Pacific
Campaign included:
– Midway (June 1942)
– Iwo Jima (February - March 1945)
– Manila (March 1945)
– Okinawa (April - June 1945)

21. Australia Today
• Prior to the 1970s, Australia promoted a policy
called “White Australia.”
• They would not allow non-Caucasians to
immigrate to Australia.
• That has since changed.

22. Australia Today
• In 1986, all legal ties with the British Empire
were severed with the passing of the Australia
Act.
• Today, Australia is a constitutional monarchy
with Elizabeth II as queen.
• In 1999, 55% of voters rejected the idea of
becoming a republic (making Australia 100%
independent)