In the year of 1788, the First Fleet arrived on the shores of Australia. They could see that the island was indeed inhabited by people. Yet, the English colonists declared the land was terra nullius or uninhabited. This declaration allowed the English government to legally claim the land (Feltham 2003: 1). Since the day of the first fleet's arrival, the colonial government and the Australian government had dealt with Aboriginal Australians in many different ways. This includes:

• Forcibly taking away children from their families

• Genocidal actions

• Removal from territory that has been with a group for centuries

• Forced onto “reserves”

• Jailing Aboriginal Australians

• Aboriginal Australians being forced to adopt non-Aboriginal cultures and language

• Integration of Aboriginal culture into non-Aboriginal way of living

• Many more (Broome 2020)

Aboriginal Australians did fight back during the first years of colonization, but ultimately had their already small numbers reduced to even smaller numbers. These actions have led to Aboriginal Australians being stuck in a constant cycle of poverty. Aboriginal Australians had lost their will of self-determination. The Australian government had set up boards of non-Aboriginals to govern Aboriginal Australians. They were content and thriving before Australia was colonized and now they have people who know nothing about them telling them how to live. When Aboriginal Australians had survived by their knowledge and skills for thousands of years (Broome 2020).

Since 1788 there have been countless actions taken by Aboriginal Australians, and some non-aboriginal Australians, to get equality. This civil rights movement also spread further because of a large Aboriginal Australian population moving into more urban areas. More non-Aboriginal Australians were beginning to be exposed to the struggles of Aboriginal Australians and how the government was overseeing them. The fight for equality includes many efforts, and some examples include:

• 1914 - 18 (World War I) - Aboriginal Australians were allowed to fight for the Australian military in ANZACS units.

• 1927 - An Aboriginal Australian journalist, David Unaipon, petitioned the Australian government to form a separate Model Aboriginal State.

• 1938 - In protest of ‘Australia Day’ January 26th was rebaptized as the ‘Day of Mourning and protest.’

• 1963 - The bark petition was sent to parliament in protest of mining activities taking place in the Northern Territory.

• 1965 - College students organize ‘freedom rides’ to spread awareness

• 1967 - A referendum was held and with its passing Aboriginal Australians were recognized to be counted in the census(Feltham 2003: 2).

In the year 1972 four Aboriginal Australian activists felt the urge to take action and show the government that Aboriginal people were serious about their calls for equality and better handling of land rights. Since they were treated like aliens in their own country, Aboriginal Australian political activists saw it necessary to set up an embassy for the Australian government.

The Tent Embassy was not welcomed by all non-Aboriginal Australians. The conservatives in the Australian government did not approve of it. The minister of the Interior even claimed that the Aboriginal Embassy was a “Squabbling, untidy and insanitary spectacle” (Howell and Schaap 2014: 574). Although, that was a part of the point of the embassy, because it not only showed the support from the people but it gave an insight to how life was on the reserves. It was bringing that reality right in front of the politicians. Eventually the conservatives had enough and ordered the embassy to be removed.The first call for the Embassy’s removal came just a month after it was erected. The Minister of the Interior, Ralph Hunt, called for its removal after Anderson’s five-point plan was laid out and when he appointed ministers for the Embassy. This task was given to the police in July of 1972.