Chapter – 6

Displacing Indigenous Peoples

In this post we have given the detailed notes of Class 11 History Chapter 6 (Displacing Indigenous Peoples) in English. These notes are useful for the students who are going to appear in Class 11 board exams.

Chapter 6: Displacing Indigenous Peoples

Introduction

• This chapter tells the story of native peoples in North America (USA and Canada) and Australia.
• Native peoples lived there for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
• Europeans came, took their lands, and changed their lives completely.
• The chapter also connects to earlier themes (like European colonization in South America from Theme 8).
• Over time, settlers from Europe (and later Asia) became the majority, while natives became a tiny group.
• Today, many don’t even realize natives were the first people there—names of rivers and towns (like Mississippi or Parramatta) come from native languages.
• Until the mid-1900s, history books ignored natives or said Europeans “discovered” these lands, as if natives didn’t exist.
• From the 1960s, natives started writing their own stories (oral history), and now museums show their art and culture.

Key Definitions

• Native/Indigenous Peoples: The first people born and living in a place before outsiders arrived.
• Colonies: New towns or areas set up by Europeans in faraway lands, ruled by their home country (like Britain or France).
• Settlers: People who left Europe to live permanently in places like America or Australia.
• Frontier: The moving edge of land in America where settlers kept pushing west, taking more space from natives.
• Aborigines: The native peoples of Australia—many different groups with their own languages and traditions.
• Reservations: Small patches of land where natives were forced to live after losing their original homes.
• Terra Nullius: A Latin term meaning “land belonging to no one”—what Europeans called Australia to claim it, ignoring natives.

Section 1: North America

The Land of North America

• North America stretches from the cold Arctic Circle in the north to the warm Tropic of Cancer in the south.
• It goes from the Pacific Ocean (west) to the Atlantic Ocean (east).
• Geography:
  • West: Rocky Mountains, deserts (Arizona, Nevada), Sierra Nevada mountains.
  • East: Great Plains, Great Lakes, Mississippi and Ohio river valleys, Appalachian Mountains.
  • South: Mexico borders the USA.
  • Canada: 40% forests, rich in oil, gas, and minerals.
• Today: Wheat, corn, fruit farming, fishing (Canada), and big industries thrive—but these started only 200 years ago when Europeans came.

Native Peoples of North America

• Origins:
  • Came from Asia over 30,000 years ago across a land bridge over the Bering Straits (between Russia and Alaska).
  • Moved south about 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age when ice melted.
• Earliest Evidence: An arrow-point found in America, 11,000 years old.
• Population: Grew about 5,000 years ago when the weather got steady.
• Lifestyle:
  • Lived in small groups (bands) or villages near rivers.
  • Ate fish and meat (hunted bison—wild buffalo), grew maize (corn) and vegetables.
  • Traveled long distances to hunt, especially after getting horses from Spanish settlers in the 1600s.
  • Only killed what they needed for food, not extra.
  • Didn’t farm big fields or build empires like in South America (e.g., Aztecs or Incas).
• Land Beliefs: Didn’t “own” land—saw it as shared and sacred, not something to buy or sell.
• Culture:
  • Spoke over 100 languages, but didn’t write them down.
  • Told stories about their history and origins, passed from parents to kids.
  • Made beautiful crafts: wampum belts (shell jewelry for treaties), textiles (woven cloth).
  • Believed time went in circles (not a straight line like Europeans thought).
  • Understood nature like a book—knew the land, weather, and animals well.

Europeans Arrive

• First Contact: In the 1600s, European traders came by ship after tough 2-month trips.
  • French and British wanted fish and furs (animal skins) from the north coast.
  • Natives were friendly and helped hunt.
• Trade:
  • Natives traded furs for European goods: blankets, iron pots (replaced clay pots), guns (helped hunting), and alcohol.
  • Alcohol was new—natives got addicted, and Europeans used this to control them.
  • Europeans got hooked on tobacco from natives.
• Key Dates:
  • 1497: John Cabot (British) reaches Newfoundland.
  • 1507: Amerigo Vespucci’s travels published (America named after him).
  • 1534: Jacques Cartier (French) sails down St. Lawrence River, meets natives.
  • 1607: British start Virginia colony.
  • 1608: French start Quebec colony.
  • 1620: British start Plymouth colony in Massachusetts.

Different Views

• European View:
  • Called natives “uncivilized” because they didn’t read/write, have cities, or follow one big religion.
  • Some, like philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, admired them as “noble savages”—pure and free from modern problems.
  • Poet William Wordsworth (never met natives) said they lacked imagination because they lived close to nature.
  • Writer Washington Irving (met natives) said they were funny and lively among themselves, not quiet or scared like Europeans thought.
• Native View:
  • Saw Europeans as greedy—killed too many animals (like beavers) for furs.
  • Traded goods as gifts, not for profit like Europeans.
  • Didn’t understand why prices changed—Europeans sold based on markets far away.

Settlers Take Over

• Settlers Arrive: In the 1700s, more Europeans came—not just traders, but people wanting to live there.
  • Many fled Europe because they were persecuted for their religion (e.g., Protestants in Catholic areas).
  • Used iron tools to cut forests and make farms, moving closer to native villages.
• USA Expansion:
  • 1776: USA declares independence from Britain.
  • 1781: Britain recognizes USA as a country.
  • 1783: Britain gives Midwest to USA.
  • 1803: Louisiana Purchase—USA buys land from France.
  • 1849: California Gold Rush—thousands rush for gold.
  • 1861-65: Civil War—north vs. south over slavery; slavery ends.
  • 1892: Frontier “ends”—all land between Pacific and Atlantic claimed.
• Canada Expansion:
  • 1701: French treaty with natives in Quebec.
  • 1763: Britain wins Canada from France after war.
  • 1774: Quebec Act—gives French settlers some rights.
  • 1791: Canada Constitutional Act—splits into Upper and Lower Canada.
  • 1837: French Canadian rebellion.
  • 1867: Confederation of Canada—becomes a united country.
• Land Changes:
  • Settlers wanted small farms (Thomas Jefferson’s dream).
  • Grew crops like rice and cotton to sell in Europe.
  • Hunted wolves and mountain lions to extinction to protect farms.
  • Invented barbed wire (1873) to fence land.

Slavery and Conflict

• South USA: Too hot for Europeans to work outside.
  • Bought African slaves for plantations (like cotton).
  • Slave trade banned later, but slaves stayed slaves, and their kids were born slaves.
• Civil War (1861-65):
  • Northern states (no plantations) wanted to end slavery—called it cruel.
  • Southern states wanted to keep it.
  • North won; slavery ended with the Thirteenth Amendment.
  • Later (1900s), African Americans fought for equal rights (Civil Rights Movement, 1960s).

Losing Land

• Treaties: Natives signed deals to sell land, but were tricked—paid little or given less land.
• Trail of Tears (1838):
  • In Georgia, Cherokees forced off land despite a court ruling (1832) by Chief Justice John Marshall saying they had rights.
  • President Andrew Jackson ignored the ruling, sent the army to move them.
  • 15,000 Cherokees marched west; over 4,000 died—called the “Trail of Tears.”
• Reservations: Natives pushed to small, bad lands far from home.
  • Moved again if gold, oil, or lead was found.
  • Many tribes crammed together, causing fights.
• Chief Seattle’s Letter (1854):
  • Wrote to the US President, saying land was sacred—streams were like ancestors’ blood.
  • Said selling it was hard, asked Europeans to respect it.
  • Ignored; land taken anyway.
• Fighting Back:
  • 1865-90: USA—native rebellions crushed by army.
  • 1869-85: Canada—Metis (mixed native-European) rebellions lost.

Gold Rush and Industry

• Gold Rush (1849):
  • Gold found in California—thousands of Europeans rushed over.
  • Built railways to move people and goods fast.
  • 1870: USA transcontinental railway done.
  • 1885: Canada railway links east and west.
• Farming: Huge farms replaced hunting lands.
  • Bison (wild buffalo) nearly wiped out by 1890—ended native hunting life.
• Industry:
  • Made railway equipment and farming machines.
  • By 1890, USA was the world’s top industrial country (from almost nothing in 1860).

Rights and Changes

• Early 1900s: Natives in reservations had bad health and no good schools.
  • 1928: “Problem of Indian Administration” report showed their struggles.
• 1934: Indian Reorganisation Act (USA)—let natives buy land and get loans.
• 1950s-60s: USA and Canada tried to make natives “join the mainstream” (act European).
  • Natives refused—wanted their own culture.
• 1954: Declaration of Indian Rights (USA)—natives accepted citizenship but kept reservations and traditions.
• 1969: Canada said no to aboriginal rights—natives protested with marches and talks.
• 1982: Canada’s Constitution Act—finally recognized native rights.
• Today: Natives are few but fight for their culture and sacred lands.

Section 2: Australia

Native Peoples of Australia

• Origins: Came over 40,000 years ago from New Guinea via a land bridge (maybe earlier).
• Population: 350-750 different groups, each with its own language (200 still spoken).
• Torres Strait Islanders: Another native group in the north—different race, not called “Aborigines.”
• Dreamtime: Their belief that past and present mix—they’ve always been there, not “arrived.”
• Lifestyle:
  • Hunted, fished, gathered food—no big farming.
  • Didn’t own land—lived with nature.
• Numbers Today: Make up 2.4% of Australia’s population (2005).

Europeans Arrive

• First Contact:
  • 1606: Dutch see Australia.
  • 1642: Tasman (Dutch) lands on Tasmania (named later).
  • 1770: James Cook (British) reaches Botany Bay, names it New South Wales.
  • 1788: British start Sydney as a penal colony—sent convicts there.
• Native Reaction:
  • At first, friendly to Cook’s crew.
  • Confused when British cut trees and dug land—not for canoes or food, but strange buildings.
  • Thought it might be a big ritual, so they stayed away.
• Violence: Cook killed by a native in Hawaii (not Australia)—British got angry, treated natives harshly after.

Taking Land

• Convicts: British sent prisoners who took native land for farms.
  • Couldn’t go back to Britain, so stayed and pushed natives out.
• Losses: 90% of natives died from:
  • Germs (diseases like smallpox from Europeans).
  • Losing land and food.
  • Battles with settlers.
• Economy:
  • 1850: Australian colonies get self-government.
  • 1851-1961: Gold rushes—more settlers came.
  • 1901: Federation of Australia—6 states unite.
  • 1911: Canberra made capital (means “meeting place” in a native language).

Discrimination

• Work: Natives forced to work on farms—conditions so bad it was like slavery.
• Chinese Workers: Came in 1851 for gold rush, but banned by 1855—settlers didn’t want non-whites.
• White Australia Policy: Until 1974, laws kept out “dark” people (South Asians, Southeast Asians).

Winds of Change

• 1968: Anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner’s lecture “The Great Australian Silence”—said historians ignored natives.
• 1970s: People started caring about native culture—art, stories, carvings—not just as old curiosities.
• 1974: Multiculturalism policy—respected native and immigrant cultures equally.
• 1992: Mabo Case—court said terra nullius was wrong; natives had land rights before 1770.
• 1995: Enquiry into stolen children—mixed-race kids taken from native families.
• 1999: National Sorry Day (May 26)—apology for taking kids from 1820s to 1970s.

Key Themes

• Displacement: Natives lost land to settlers in both places—forced to move or died out.
• Cultural Clash:
  • Natives: Land was sacred, shared, not for sale.
  • Europeans: Land was property to own and use.
• Resistance: Natives fought—rebellions in USA (1865-90), Canada (1869-85), but lost.
• Change Over Time:
  • 1800s: Natives ignored or pushed out.
  • 1900s: Laws and attitudes slowly improved—rights recognized.

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