Preview

Charles Perkins 'Contributions' Influence On Australia And America

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1170 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Charles Perkins 'Contributions' Influence On Australia And America
Throughout history, many activists have made an impactful influence with their differing methods and used it as a way of creating change. Such activists can be seen establishing change within their countries of Australia and America. From Australia, influential activists are displayed through the actions of Eddie Mabo and Charles Perkins whilst in America Martin Luther King and Malcolm X stirred up change that would revolutionise America. Change can only be conceived through the opening of one’s actions and their methods provide different elements of effectiveness towards change.

Australia would not be the Australia with Aborigines we know today without the man known as Charles Perkins. Charles Perkins, most famous for his freedom ride in
…show more content…
In the case of Charles Perkins, his methods worked great even though it may have been a rough start with negative backlash from the townspeople but with the assistance of the media he flipped it and in his own words from his autobiography, A Bastard Like Me, “ It brought, I think, to a lot of people, a confrontation with race relations in a very uncomfortable kind of way”. While on the other hand Martin Luther King’s philosophy of a non-violent protest did similarly and brought forth to light the issues which made the nation of America recognise the segregation occurring within their country. Through this recognition, even though his non-violent methods were being questions, King’s determination brought forth the civil rights act of 1964 and moreover the voting rights acts of 1965. Ergo, the two activists were similar in the fact that they were both non-violent and forced their countries to notice the issues happening beneath them and also especially cause action to be brought down through the voice of the …show more content…
Eddie Mabo brought forth a new yet logical approach to land ownership within Australia through utilising the courts of Australia and it is with this that he and others brought forth a case to the high court of Australia. This case did not only affect Mabo’s land as it would affect all of the indigenous people’s right to land as with the passing of the case it would remove the once placed terra nullius on Australia and allow for aboriginals to once more take ownership of their land. This is evident in a news article from the time titled “Court's ruling destroyed idea of terra nullius” where it states, “The High Court found in favour of the Murray Islanders and overturned the doctrine accepted until then that Australia had been terra nullius”. Henceforth, the methods of Eddie Mabo challenged previously set out laws and regulations and compelled the high courts of Australia to modify it so that the aboriginals would have their rightful ownership of their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Yes, you heard it correct, Charles Perkins. He was a famous Indigenous Australian soccer player, an administrator (similar to manager) and an activist. His Aboriginal name was Kumantjayi Perkins. As many people do, he also changed his name to Charles as British people have similar names. This allowed Aboriginal’s promotion of human rights such as playing for a team, publishing books, travelling and voting.…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In 1770, Englishman Lieutenant James Cook claimed the east coast under instruction from King George III of England at Possession Island, naming eastern Australia 'New South Wales'. James Cook had clear instruction from British government “You are also with the consent of the Natives, take possession of Convenient Situations in the Country... or, if you find the Country uninhabited take possession of it’. Initially when European landed in the land of Aboriginal people, they were astonished by the way Aboriginal people were happily and perfectly living their lives. Cook was working under…

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    MABO PRACTICE ESSAY PRIDE

    • 1055 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The 1992 Landmarks High Court case abolishing the doctrine of ‘Terra Nullius’; the foundation of Australia’s settlement paved way for the ‘Native Title Act 1993’. Following the 20 year commemoration of the Mabo decision, the 2012 telemovie ‘Mabo’ directed by Rachel Perkins was released. It depicts the life of Murray Islander man and activist Eddie Koiki Mabo and his family in his grueling fight for land rights. Pride comes before the fall – the ego of one stems destruction. Pride is a sense of satisfaction derived from one’s achievements. It is also a feeling of self-worth and dignity. Eddie is of Murray Island decent and this background stems a lot of pride. The Indigenous race have suffered from racist values of society and it is Eddie’s pride in his race that stems his battle for justice and equality.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Eddie Mabo

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Throughout Australian history, there have been men and women who fought for the entitlements of the indigenous people. The most respected and recognised of these is Eddie Mabo, a Torres Strait Islander. Mabo stood up for the rights of his people from a very young age all the way to his death, in order to generate changes in the policies and laws of the government. Mabo battled for his right to own the land which he had inherited from his adoptive father, a fight which was resolved only after his demise. Despite this, Eddie Mabo became one of the key influential figures in the Aboriginal rights movement, as his strong will, determination, and intelligence allowed him to bring about change.…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Squirk

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This changed again in 1992 with the High Court judgement on the land mark Mabocase. Eddie Mabo was an Indigenous inhabitant of the Murray (Mer) Islands in the Torres Strait. He led a group of the Meriam people in a Supreme Court challenge against the Queensland government on the issue of land ownership. Their case stated;…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    justice

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Soon after while having lunch with historians Henry Reynolds and Noel Loos, Mabo was made aware that the Australian Courts worked on the principal that Australia was “Terra Nullius”- land belonging to no one, prior to European Settlement.…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mabo Decision

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Before the Mabo Decision, Indigenous Australians never had a victory in court as the judges always favoured the 'White' Australians opinion and was always biased with the rulings. The background on the Mabo Decision was the fact that Eddie Mabo and other Torres Strait Islanders decided to fight for their ancestral land and their rights. On 3 June 1992, the High Court by a majority of six to one upheld the claim and ruled that the lands of this continent were not terra nullius or land belonging to no-one when European settlement occurred, and that the Meriam people were 'entitled as against the whole world to possession, occupation, use and enjoyment most of the lands of the Murray Islands.’ Eddie Mabo argued the fact that under the 'native title' and the complex customary ownership of the land which predated colonisation it was rightfully theirs.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Mabo Decision

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Mabo Decision was the goal to overturn the idea of Terra Nullius so that Aboriginal peoples would be recognised…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mabo Decision was the outcome of the protest led by Eddie Mabo with a group of people from the Murray Islands in Torres Strait claiming that they had ownership of the islands before the white people settled. This act was very successful leading to the High Court deciding that the Murray Islanders were entitled to possession, occupation, enjoyment and use of the lands. The Mabo Decision overturned the concept of Terra Nullius (‘the land belonging to no one’) meaning the Australians recognised that the native title still…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The British brought a very different view of land ownership to Australia when the arrived in 1788. Over the last two hundred years in England new land reforms had began which “put the property rights of an owner above that of the liberty, even the life, of another person.”[1] This meant that when settling colonies British forces had the lawful right to deny access to land they claimed as their own. In the case of Australia the British saw Aboriginals as savages without government or law. Captain Cook reflected this view when saying they were “like wild beasts.”[2] Being accustomed to growing crops and raising…

    • 1788 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Legal

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Native title was not recognised in Australia until 1992 when the High Court in the Mabo decision overturned the doctrine of terra nullius. This led to the legislation of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) and the establishment of the National Native Title Tribunal. Now Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders had the right to make native title claims but this was a very expensive, slow and time-consuming process making it ineffective for Indigenous people to regain ownership of their traditional land. The Native Title Amendment Act 1998 (Cth) also restricted the rights of Indigenous Australians.…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Civil Rights Analysis

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Compare the activities of two civil rights activists, one from Australia and one from the US?…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When captain James Cook landed in Botany Bay in 1770, because of the different lifestyle of Aboriginal people with no fences or markers, which cannot exhibit their ownership of the land, captain Cook denied the existence of those first inhabitants of Australia (Skwirk Online Education, n.d.). He claimed that the land was belong to no one which refers to the doctrine of ‘Terra Nullius’, and that it was free for Britain to colonize (Skwirk Online Education, n.d.). This conclusion caused the loss of land rights of Indigenous Australians as well as began the long period that Indigenous Australians were unfairly treated by white people. Therefore, there were numbers of actions and battles raging for their own rights and justice. As a result, they…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Martin Luther King

    • 1402 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King was a well-known civil rights leader and activist who had a great deal of influence on American society in the 1950s and 1960s. His strong belief in non-violent protest helped set the tone of the movement. Boycotts, protests, and marches were eventually effective, and much legislation was passed against racial discrimination. However, it is arguable that he was not always successful and there were several contributions outside of his control such as: the lure of black power, the Greensboro’s Sit-ins and the Freedom Rides.…

    • 1402 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    9781107650787w05 6

    • 17740 Words
    • 101 Pages

    Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.…

    • 17740 Words
    • 101 Pages
    Powerful Essays