Why the British Colonized New Holland in 1788
What were the most compelling reasons why the British decided to establish a colony on the east coast of New Holland in 1788?
It Was All About Location
In 1788, the British colonized the continent of New Holland, which is present day Australia. The colony was first started as a penal colony on the east coast, but soon expanded throughout the country. There are many reasons why this colony was first created and why Botany Bay specifically was chosen, but many of these reasons came about due to a man named Captain Cook who wrote down all of his findings during his discovery of New Holland. During Captain Cook’s voyage to the South Pacific, he “found’ New South Whales and reported all his findings from the trip including some maps of the Eastern Coast. These findings were used as the first compelling reasons set forth to the government convincing them to establish a colony on the east coast of this new continent. The reason why it was such a compelling place to colonize was mostly because of its location which in turn created other reasons for why it would work so well such as the aftermath of the war, economic and political benefits, the thrill of adventure and discovery, and the overwhelming number of convicts in Britain at the time.
When Captain Cook returned from his journey and all his findings from the Eastern side of Australia were documented, some people were very compelled by New Holland or New South Whales and very much wanted the British to establish a settlement there. To start, New Holland seemed pretty easy to colonize. There were only some inhabitants that Cook discussed and he referred to them as animals or people without any culture. It would not be hard to bring people there and fight off inhabitants or have them cause a problem. Cook explained these people in one of his documents,
“I do not look upon them to be a warlike People, on the Contrary I think theym am timorous and inoffensive race, no ways inclinable to cruelty, as appear'd
It Was All About Location
In 1788, the British colonized the continent of New Holland, which is present day Australia. The colony was first started as a penal colony on the east coast, but soon expanded throughout the country. There are many reasons why this colony was first created and why Botany Bay specifically was chosen, but many of these reasons came about due to a man named Captain Cook who wrote down all of his findings during his discovery of New Holland. During Captain Cook’s voyage to the South Pacific, he “found’ New South Whales and reported all his findings from the trip including some maps of the Eastern Coast. These findings were used as the first compelling reasons set forth to the government convincing them to establish a colony on the east coast of this new continent. The reason why it was such a compelling place to colonize was mostly because of its location which in turn created other reasons for why it would work so well such as the aftermath of the war, economic and political benefits, the thrill of adventure and discovery, and the overwhelming number of convicts in Britain at the time.
When Captain Cook returned from his journey and all his findings from the Eastern side of Australia were documented, some people were very compelled by New Holland or New South Whales and very much wanted the British to establish a settlement there. To start, New Holland seemed pretty easy to colonize. There were only some inhabitants that Cook discussed and he referred to them as animals or people without any culture. It would not be hard to bring people there and fight off inhabitants or have them cause a problem. Cook explained these people in one of his documents,
“I do not look upon them to be a warlike People, on the Contrary I think theym am timorous and inoffensive race, no ways inclinable to cruelty, as appear'd
Bibliography: Articles: James M. Matra, "A Proposal for Establishing a Settlement in New South Wales," 23 August 1783, in Ged Martin, ed., The Founding of Australia. (Sydney: Hale and Iremonger, 1978) Lord Sydney. “To The Lords Commissioner of the Treasury,” 23 August 1783, in Ged Martin, ed., The Founding of Australia. (Sydney: Hale and Iremonger, 1978) Sir George Young. “The Attorney-General to Lord Sydney,” 23 August 1783, in Ged Martin, ed., The Founding of Australia. (Sydney: Hale and Iremonger, 1978) Online: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-ss-jrnl-cook_remarks-080. August-Sept 1770.