Terra Nullius

Great Britain colonized Australia in 1788. It is been estimated that there were between 300,000 to 750,000 native inhabitants on the continent and at that time (Russell, 2005). English Common Law forbade colonization of any area inhabited unless this was accomplished by a treaty or force. The English colonists typically acknowledged the native peoples of the lands that they colonized; however, this was not the case during the colonization of Australia (Daunton & Martin, 1999). The Aborigines defined themselves according to their clan relationship and were separated by at least 200 different dialects (Daunton & Martin, 1999). The British did not indigenous Australians as having any formal societal organization and this contributed to the British treating the natives they encountered in North America and in Australia quite differently.

Instead of recognizing the native Australians the British denied them any rights or ownership over the lands that they had...
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