Step 1: Chinese Diggers
Read this introduction
By 1858, there were 33,667 Chinese on the Victorian goldfields. They were all male and six were children.
With their different clothing and their long pigtails, the Chinese stood out.
They tended to work over the areas the Europeans had already worked. They were very successful in finding any gold that the Europeans had missed and left behind. They worked very very hard.
The other diggers didn't like the Chinese coming and taking what they thought was their gold. The Chinese faced hostility from other miners. On the Buckland River in 1857 a violent clash occurred when the European miners tried to drive the Chinese off the goldfield.
The Victorian government tried to stop so many Chines coming to the goldfields by placing a ten pound tax on each Chinese person as they arrived. So the Chinese would then land in South Australia and walk overland from that way instead.
By 1858, there were 33,667 Chinese on the Victorian goldfields. They were all male and six were children.
With their different clothing and their long pigtails, the Chinese stood out.
They tended to work over the areas the Europeans had already worked. They were very successful in finding any gold that the Europeans had missed and left behind. They worked very very hard.
The other diggers didn't like the Chinese coming and taking what they thought was their gold. The Chinese faced hostility from other miners. On the Buckland River in 1857 a violent clash occurred when the European miners tried to drive the Chinese off the goldfield.
The Victorian government tried to stop so many Chines coming to the goldfields by placing a ten pound tax on each Chinese person as they arrived. So the Chinese would then land in South Australia and walk overland from that way instead.
Step 2: Watch this movie
Notice, that after the gold rushes, the Chinese that stayed behind to live in Australia, gradually became accepted. They are now a very important part of Australia.
Step 3: Racism on the goldfields
Chinese miners wore different clothes and preferred to stay in groups together. They prayed at Chinese Temples and smoked opium.
Not many Chinese women came to the goldfields so white miners thought that they might attack white women.
White miners didn't like it when hard working and careful Chinese miners found gold in places that they had already worked on. White miners incorrectly believed that the Chinese took all the wealth back to China and that they spread disease.
After a while, all these things caused a lot of bad feeling towards the Chinese. In 1858 about 400 white miners signed a petition that was very racist, asking the government to restrict the Chinese coming to the goldfields. It said that the Chinese had general filthy habits that are repulsive to the feelings of Christian people.
If you click on the links below you will find some more information about the Chinese on the goldfields and the racism that it caused.
Not many Chinese women came to the goldfields so white miners thought that they might attack white women.
White miners didn't like it when hard working and careful Chinese miners found gold in places that they had already worked on. White miners incorrectly believed that the Chinese took all the wealth back to China and that they spread disease.
After a while, all these things caused a lot of bad feeling towards the Chinese. In 1858 about 400 white miners signed a petition that was very racist, asking the government to restrict the Chinese coming to the goldfields. It said that the Chinese had general filthy habits that are repulsive to the feelings of Christian people.
If you click on the links below you will find some more information about the Chinese on the goldfields and the racism that it caused.
Step 4: Activity
Add two more slides to your Powerpoint.
On the first slide add some facts about the Chinese coming to the goldfields. (For example, when they came, how many came, how they lived and what jobs they did on the goldfields)
On the second slide add some information about what caused the anti-Chinese feelings on the goldfields.
On the first slide add some facts about the Chinese coming to the goldfields. (For example, when they came, how many came, how they lived and what jobs they did on the goldfields)
On the second slide add some information about what caused the anti-Chinese feelings on the goldfields.
FINISHED!
Well Done!
Well Done!