1788 : Australia Day
On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11
British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales,
effectively founding Australia. After overcoming a period of hardship,
the fledgling colony began to celebrate the anniversary of this date
with great fanfare.
Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a
penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur
Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish
an agricultural work camp there for British convicts. With little idea
of what he could expect from the mysterious and distant land, Phillip
had great difficulty assembling the fleet that was to make the
journey. His requests for more experienced farmers to assist the penal
colony were repeatedly denied, and he was both poorly funded and
outfitted. Nonetheless, accompanied by a small contingent of Marines
and other officers, Phillip led his 1,000-strong party, of whom more
than 700 were convicts, around Africa to the eastern side of
Australia. In all, the voyage lasted eight months, claiming the deaths
of some 30 men.
The first years of settlement were nearly disastrous. Cursed with poor
soil, an unfamiliar climate and workers who were ignorant of farming,
Phillip had great difficulty keeping the men alive. The colony was on
the verge of outright starvation for several years, and the marines
sent to keep order were not up to the task. Phillip, who proved to be
a tough but fair-minded leader, persevered by appointing convicts to
positions of responsibility and oversight. Floggings and hangings were
commonplace, but so was egalitarianism. As Phillip said before leaving
England: "In a new country there will be no slavery and hence no
slaves."
Though Phillip returned to England in 1792, the colony became
prosperous by the turn of the 19th century. Feeling a new sense of
patriotism, the men began to rally around January 26 as their founding
day. Historian Manning Clarke noted that in 1808 the men observed the
"anniversary of the foundation of the colony" with "drinking and
merriment."
Finally, in 1818, January 26 became an official holiday, marking the
30th anniversary of British settlement in Australia. And, as Australia
became a sovereign nation, it became the national holiday known as
Australia Day. Today, Australia Day serves both as a day of
celebration for the founding of the white British settlement, and as a
day of mourning for the Aborigines who were slowly dispossessed of
their land as white colonization spread across the continent.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1788 : Australia Day
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52351
1500 : Pinzon discovers Brazil
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4709
1838 : Tennessee passes nation's first prohibition law
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4710
1939 : Franco captures Barcelona
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4712
1950 : Republic of India born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6788
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On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11
British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales,
effectively founding Australia. After overcoming a period of hardship,
the fledgling colony began to celebrate the anniversary of this date
with great fanfare.
Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a
penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur
Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish
an agricultural work camp there for British convicts. With little idea
of what he could expect from the mysterious and distant land, Phillip
had great difficulty assembling the fleet that was to make the
journey. His requests for more experienced farmers to assist the penal
colony were repeatedly denied, and he was both poorly funded and
outfitted. Nonetheless, accompanied by a small contingent of Marines
and other officers, Phillip led his 1,000-strong party, of whom more
than 700 were convicts, around Africa to the eastern side of
Australia. In all, the voyage lasted eight months, claiming the deaths
of some 30 men.
The first years of settlement were nearly disastrous. Cursed with poor
soil, an unfamiliar climate and workers who were ignorant of farming,
Phillip had great difficulty keeping the men alive. The colony was on
the verge of outright starvation for several years, and the marines
sent to keep order were not up to the task. Phillip, who proved to be
a tough but fair-minded leader, persevered by appointing convicts to
positions of responsibility and oversight. Floggings and hangings were
commonplace, but so was egalitarianism. As Phillip said before leaving
England: "In a new country there will be no slavery and hence no
slaves."
Though Phillip returned to England in 1792, the colony became
prosperous by the turn of the 19th century. Feeling a new sense of
patriotism, the men began to rally around January 26 as their founding
day. Historian Manning Clarke noted that in 1808 the men observed the
"anniversary of the foundation of the colony" with "drinking and
merriment."
Finally, in 1818, January 26 became an official holiday, marking the
30th anniversary of British settlement in Australia. And, as Australia
became a sovereign nation, it became the national holiday known as
Australia Day. Today, Australia Day serves both as a day of
celebration for the founding of the white British settlement, and as a
day of mourning for the Aborigines who were slowly dispossessed of
their land as white colonization spread across the continent.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1788 : Australia Day
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52351
1500 : Pinzon discovers Brazil
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4709
1838 : Tennessee passes nation's first prohibition law
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4710
1939 : Franco captures Barcelona
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4712
1950 : Republic of India born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6788
#########################################
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