d, 134). In 1856, rowing humanitarian concerns led the Australian colonies to pass laws, beginning in Victoria, concerning the care and protection of Aborigines (Blainey, 133). They were put on reservations where they received food and shelter. Unfortunately for the Aborigines, those laws did not give them any social or economic standing in the colonies. Since they were force off their land, they could no longer hunt or gather food for survival. They were forced to adapt to the European culture because that was the only choice they had. Even though they adapted to the new culture, they were still living in poverty. Gradually, missionaries and government welfare agents began to have some effect, and questions of humane treatment came to have a more of a purpose. But in some areas the Aborigines were still mistreated and fighting still occurred, all though not as much as before well into the 1940s (Broome, 157). On top of that, in places where the European settlement was intense, miscegenation, or cross breeding, took place (Blainey, 152). Eventually the number of Aborigines of mixed with European blood eventually outnumbered those with pure Aboriginal ancestry. In the southern and middle eastern parts of Australia, their traditional lifestyle ceased to exist as reality. In the northern parts their traditional lifestyle remained even on reservations, but with modifications, so it wasnt the same as before. In some remote areas, the Aborigines were able to live as before but with changes, especially in law and order (Blainey, 178). Even into the 20th century, the Aborigines situation did not get any better. The estimated number of persons of predominantly Aboriginal descent declined from about 180,000 in 1861 to less than 95,000 in 1901 (Broome, 189). The Aborigines were still living in poverty and because of all the problems they faced, many of them began drinking. This led to a big alcohol epidemic among ...
