Assimilating the Natives in the U.S. and Australia
The reading Assimilating the Natives in the U.S. and Australia written by Gary Foley in June 2000 interrogates, from an indigenous perspective, the suggestion that Assimilation means different things to Australian and United States governments. In Order to do so Foley examines colonial origins, notions of race and white supremacist mythology. Foley looks at how each of these perceptions resulted in the treatment of indigenous people and draws conclusions on whether there is a difference in the intent of assimilation as well as exploits some possible long term implications in today’s society. ‘Origins of American and Australian colonies have a common European heritage of imperialism and racial …show more content…
It has been estimated that over 4500 Aboriginals were killed in Tasmania between the years 1804 and 1834. By the middle of the 19th Century the aboriginal population looked as if it would diminish altogether. Around the same time, during the gold rush era, race became a major issue on another front. ‘The numbers of Chinese on the gold fields created numerous clashes and ultimately led to the development of the ‘White Australia’ immigration policy and played a key role in the federation of Australia in 1901’ (Foley, 2000, pg. 6). The apparent obsession with race reduced from the fact that Australia developed as an ‘overwhelmingly ‘British’ society with a national mania regarding racial purity and homogeneity’ (Foley, 2000, pg. 8). The rapid American territorial expansion of this time meant that the Southern States had a huge increase in the demand for cotton in 1860 and therefore resulted in the increase demand for slaves. That year there were said to be over four million slaves in the south. The civil war put an end to slavery of African Americans, although it was the beginning of a long period of racism. Despite the obvious racism shown in the regime of terrorism, there was never a United States policy of racial
The reading Assimilating the Natives in the U.S. and Australia written by Gary Foley in June 2000 interrogates, from an indigenous perspective, the suggestion that Assimilation means different things to Australian and United States governments. In Order to do so Foley examines colonial origins, notions of race and white supremacist mythology. Foley looks at how each of these perceptions resulted in the treatment of indigenous people and draws conclusions on whether there is a difference in the intent of assimilation as well as exploits some possible long term implications in today’s society. ‘Origins of American and Australian colonies have a common European heritage of imperialism and racial …show more content…
It has been estimated that over 4500 Aboriginals were killed in Tasmania between the years 1804 and 1834. By the middle of the 19th Century the aboriginal population looked as if it would diminish altogether. Around the same time, during the gold rush era, race became a major issue on another front. ‘The numbers of Chinese on the gold fields created numerous clashes and ultimately led to the development of the ‘White Australia’ immigration policy and played a key role in the federation of Australia in 1901’ (Foley, 2000, pg. 6). The apparent obsession with race reduced from the fact that Australia developed as an ‘overwhelmingly ‘British’ society with a national mania regarding racial purity and homogeneity’ (Foley, 2000, pg. 8). The rapid American territorial expansion of this time meant that the Southern States had a huge increase in the demand for cotton in 1860 and therefore resulted in the increase demand for slaves. That year there were said to be over four million slaves in the south. The civil war put an end to slavery of African Americans, although it was the beginning of a long period of racism. Despite the obvious racism shown in the regime of terrorism, there was never a United States policy of racial