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Black War Facts & Worksheets

The Black War was the period of hostilities and conflict between Indigenous Australians and British colonists in Tasmania which lasted from 1824 to 1832.

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The Black War was the period of hostilities and conflict between Indigenous Australians and British colonists in Tasmania which lasted from 1824 to 1832. Even though there was no official war declaration, there was a prolonged hostility and violent conflict over Aboriginal land that the European settlers had claimed under the British law of terra nullius. The war resulted in British control of Tasmania.

See the fact file below for more information on the Black War or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Black War worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY CONFLICT

  • The first recorded contact between the Europeans and the Indigenous people in Tasmania was in 1772.
  • Tasmania then was known as Van Diemen’s Land.
  • The first notable European presence came with the establishment of a small military outpost at Risdon on the Derwent River in September 1803.
  • Armed conflict started in May 1804, immediately after a military unit opened fire on Indigenous hunters.
  • European settlers began to occupy prime hunting areas of the island which compromised the Indigenous’ own hunting thus increasing their hostility towards the colonists.
  • Not only that, the settlers also repeatedly harassed the Indigenous people.
  • It was not uncommon that the Europeans kidnapped, raped, and killed the Indigenous people.
  • The Indigenous people were incapable of employing a large-scale defense against the white settlers so they resorted to attacks on individuals and small groups.
  • From 1806 to 1807, a period of violence broke out as northern and southern Indigenous groups attacked several Europeans sparked by the competition.
  • Beginning in 1807, 600 British colonists arrived from Norfolk Island.
  • The colonists established farms occupying 10 percent of Van Diemen’s Land, and claimed the land through violence, which all the more increased the tensions between the Indigenous people and the colonists.
  • Historian Nicholas Clements had said that the main reasons for attacks on Indigenous people were “revenge, killing for sport, sexual desire for women and children, and suppression of the native threat.”

ESCALATED CONFLICT AND MARTIAL LAW

  • In the later 1820s, the violent conflict and frequency of attacks escalated.
  • The intensity of this campaign prompted Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur to declare martial law.
  • Martial law effectively gave legal immunity for killing Indigenous people.
  • Martial law was implemented for more than three years, which is the longest period of martial law in the history of Australia.
  • Despite the Martial law, Indigenous Australians kept on attacking settlers, killing 19 colonists between August and December 1829.
  • The colonists also maintained their attacks and massacres on the Indigenous people.
  • A least 200 Indigenous people were killed during the martial law, with many of them murdered in slaughters of six or more people.

ABORIGINES COMMITTEE

  • In March 1830, George Arthur appointed Anglican Archdeacon William Broughton to head the Aborigines Committee.
  • The Aborigines Committee sought to investigate the causes of the increased hostilities and make recommendations on how to bring the violence and destruction to a halt.
  • Immediately upon its establishment, the committee published the following in its report: “It is manifest that (the Aboriginal people) have lost the sense of superiority of white men, and the dread of the effects of firearms.”
  • Later that year, reports surfaced of friendly encounters between the colonists and Indigenous people, which prompted George Arthur to issue a government notice conveying his satisfaction.
  • In late 1830 George Arthur ordered the Black Line, a six-week offensive aimed to drive the Indigenous people to the southeastern Tasman Peninsula unoccupied by the settlers.
  • The Black Line was formed by several thousand white settlers, but the campaign failed.

FAILURE OF THE BLACK LINE

  • The Black Line consisted of approximately 550 soldiers, 738 convict servants, and 912 civilians.
  • Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur appointed Major Sholto Douglas of the 63rd Regiment in command of the forces.
  • The campaign was met by extreme weather, rough terrain, and insufficient supplies and maps.
  • Said factors and rugged terrain left many gaps through which the Indigenous people were able to go through.
  • The colonists were left barefoot and with tattered clothing.
  • They broke up the line and returned home.

AN ACT OF GENOCIDE

  • Although the Indigenous people fought back, it is believed that over 60 percent of the Indigenous population in Tasmania was killed in the year after martial law was declared.
  • Many of the remaining Indigenous population were moved into camps where conditions were so dreadful and grim that a lot of Indigenous people did not survive.
  • Various historians have characterized the destruction of Tasmania’s Indigenous population as an act of genocide.
  • Historians have also claimed that most killings of Indigenous people were unreported.
  • Between about 1831 and 1835, George A. Robinson convinced most of the remaining Indigenous people to move from the mainland and resettle on Flinders Island.
  • By 1835 the Indigenous population had dwindled to less than 150, from the original 4000 before European settlement began.

Black War Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Black War across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Black War worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Black War which was the period of hostilities and conflict between Indigenous Australians and British colonists in Tasmania which lasted from 1824 to 1832. Even though there was no official war declaration, there was a prolonged hostility and violent conflict over Indigenous land that the European settlers had claimed under the British law of terra nullius. The war resulted in British control of Tasmania.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

  • Black War Facts
  • Terms to Remember
  • Picture Clues
  • Event Sequencing
  • European Leaders
  • Image Narrative
  • Keyword Narrative
  • Spot the Truths
  • Black Line Storyboard
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Letter to the Indigenous People

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Link will appear as Black War Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 1, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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