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Learning Intention: Understand the contribution that convicts and free settlers made to the development of the Australian nation
Success Criteria: I can:
Research an individual convict and their impact on the Australian nation
Create a set of slides describing and explaining this individual's impact
Activity 1 - Copy the following in your exercise book
Whilst there were many negative impacts of colonisation on Australia, particularly for the Indigenous inhabitants, convicts and free settlers played pivotal roles in shaping the development of the Australian nation.
Convicts, transported from Britain beginning in 1788, provided a significant labour force that laid the foundation for infrastructure, agriculture, and industries. Their forced contributions helped build roads, bridges, and public buildings, creating the framework for economic growth. Meanwhile, free settlers, attracted by opportunities for land ownership and economic advancement, brought entrepreneurial spirit and agricultural expertise, which fostered rural development and trade.
Over time, the blending of these groups helped establish a unique Australian identity, marked by resilience and egalitarian values. Despite the exploitation and hardships endured by convicts, their contributions, alongside those of the free settlers, were instrumental in transforming Australia from a penal colony into a thriving, self-sufficient nation.
Activity 2 - Changes in the way of life of a convict: significant individual
Research ONE of the following convicts: Mary Reibey OR Francis Greenway
Research Guide Questions:
a) What crimes did they commit in their place of origin?
b) When was their recorded date of arrival and place of disembarkation?
c) Provide details of their convict experience- for example, their sentence, types of activities they had to perform.
d) Explain how their life changed from being a convict to a more positive and active contributor of the early colony of Australia. What were their contributions to Australian society.
e) Collect at least one primary source about your convict (label and reference it).
Create a set of slides about your chosen convict
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