Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763–1914 - 2 The birth of British…
Full specification wording
Paper 3, Option 35.1: Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763–1914 - 2 The birth of British Australia, 1788–1829: Impact of British settlement on Aborigines in Tasmania and New South Wales, 1788-1829.
British settlement after 1788 affected Aboriginal peoples in both New South Wales and Tasmania, though unevenly.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 3
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
British settlement after 1788 affected Aboriginal peoples in both New South Wales and Tasmania, though unevenly. In New South Wales, pastoral expansion across the Blue Mountains from 1813 displaced Darug, Gandangara and Wiradjuri groups from hunting grounds; smallpox and other diseases cut populations sharply, while frontier violence and punitive expeditions followed resistance such as the 1824 Bathurst war. In Tasmania, sealers and settlers disrupted coastal bands, and the 1820s pastoral push produced the Black War, with killings on both sides and forced removal to Flinders Island from 1830. Assess impact by distinguishing disease, dispossession, violence and cultural disruption, and by comparing timing and intensity between the two colonies.
What earns the marks
- Explains that British settlement brought epidemic disease, notably smallpox in New South Wales from 1789, causing severe Aboriginal population loss.
- Analyses dispossession of land and resources as pastoral settlement spread, for example beyond the Blue Mountains after 1813.
- Examines frontier violence and Aboriginal resistance, such as the Bathurst war of 1824 and the Black War in Tasmania in the 1820s.
- Compares impact between New South Wales and Tasmania, noting different timing, scale and forms of conflict and removal.
- Evaluates cultural and social disruption, including loss of access to hunting grounds, sites and kinship networks.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating Aboriginal peoples as passive victims.
Put it right: Show varied responses including resistance, negotiation and adaptation.
Assuming impact was identical in both colonies.
Put it right: Compare New South Wales and Tasmania in timing and intensity.
Confusing the 1830 removal to Flinders Island with events before 1829.
Put it right: Keep the chronology within the stated period.
Exam tips
- Anchor each point to a named group, place or event within 1788-1829 to show precise knowledge.
- Use comparison explicitly, weighing similarities and differences between New South Wales and Tasmania.
- Reach a supported judgement on the relative severity of disease, dispossession and violence rather than listing them.
Try the lesson
The start of the Paper 3, Option 35.1: Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763–1914 - 2 The birth of British Australia, 1788–1829: Impact of British settlement on Aborigines in Tasmania and New South Wales, 1788-1829. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which consequence of British settlement most directly reduced Aboriginal access to traditional food sources in the areas around Sydney Cove after 1788?
Listen
British settlement after 1788 affected Aboriginal peoples in both New South Wales and Tasmania, though unevenly. In New South Wales, pastoral expansion across the Blue Mountains from 1813 displaced Darug, Gandangara and Wiradjuri groups from hunting grounds; smallpox and other diseases cut populations sharply, while frontier violence and punitive expeditions followed resistance such as the 1824 Bathurst war. In Tasmania, sealers and settlers disrupted coastal bands, and the 1820s pastoral push produced the Black War, with killings on both sides and forced removal to Flinders Island from 1830. Assess impact by distinguishing disease, dispossession, violence and cultural disruption, and by comparing timing and intensity between the two colonies. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explains that British settlement brought epidemic disease, notably smallpox in New South Wales from 1789, causing severe Aboriginal population loss. Analyses dispossession of land and resources as pastoral settlement spread, for example beyond the Blue Mountains after 1813. Examines frontier violence and Aboriginal resistance, such as the Bathurst war of 1824 and the Black War in Tasmania in the 1820s. Compares impact between New South Wales and Tasmania, noting different timing, scale and forms of conflict and removal. A common slip: Treating Aboriginal peoples as passive victims. Instead, show varied responses including resistance, negotiation and adaptation. Exam tip: Anchor each point to a named group, place or event within 1788-1829 to show precise knowledge.
Put the events in order
Put these events in the order they happened, earliest first.
- 1. Forced removal of Tasmanian Aboriginal people to Flinders Island
- 2. Smallpox epidemic causes severe Aboriginal population loss in New South Wales
- 3. The Bathurst war follows Aboriginal resistance on the frontier
- 4. Pastoral expansion beyond the Blue Mountains dispossesses Aboriginal groups
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Disease and demographic collapse
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Land dispossession and cultural disruption
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Aboriginal resistance and adaptation
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Colonial expansion and frontier conflict
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Disease and demographic collapse
- Epidemic disease, notably smallpox in New South Wales from 1789, caused severe Aboriginal population loss.
- Land dispossession and cultural disruption
- Pastoral settlement spread across hunting grounds, causing loss of access to hunting grounds, sites and kinship networks.
- Aboriginal resistance and adaptation
- Peoples showed varied responses including resistance, negotiation and adaptation, such as the Bathurst war of 1824 and the Black War in Tasmania.
- Colonial expansion and frontier conflict
- Pastoral expansion displaced groups from hunting grounds, and frontier violence and punitive expeditions followed resistance.
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