Compare And Contrast The Assimilation Policy Between 1937 And 1965

Between 1937 and 1965, it would be rare to see every Aboriginal person truly express his or her happiness. Although there were improvements to some Aborigines’ lives, the Policy of Assimilation did not ameliorate the lives of most Aboriginal Australians between 1937 and 1965. The assimilation policy conveys the idea of white superiority and black inferiority, manifesting racial inequality and discrimination against Aboriginal Australians. Assimilation policies prompted the forcible removal of Aboriginal children, decreased and oppressed the Aboriginal population and their culture and Aborigines had lacking rights to citizenship. The negative impacts evidently preponderate the positives (if any).

The assimilation policy was an idea to segregate

The assimilation policy precipitated protests, including the formation of the Aborigines Progressive Association, the Day of Mourning and the 1965 Freedom Ride, as it did not ameliorate the racial prejudice against Aborigines; assimilation policies made the inequality manifest. Aborigines weren’t able to travel freely and use the local pools or cinemas without restrictions. They were living in poverty, had poor health, poor education and most Aborigines were unemployed. If they were employed, they received “significantly less income” (Source K). The restrictions implemented against Aborigines – a manifestation of racial prejudice – eventuated different protests. On 27 June 1937, William Ferguson and Jack Patten established the Aborigines Progressive Board to oppose the Aboriginal Welfare Board who “arbitrarily used their authority to harass Aboriginal people”. The Aborigines Progressive Board coordinated the Day of Mourning protest that took place at the Australian Hall on January 26th, 1938 in Sydney. The attendees were "persons of Aboriginal blood" and wore formal black clothing, symbolic of their grief. The Day of Mourning was “a silent protest from Town Hall to the Australian Hall”, opposing assimilation policies. Protesters protested against inequality, injustice, discrimination and for new laws for education, care of Aborigines, ownership of Australian Territory and full Australian Citizenship rights and freedom. These protests against the lack of human rights for Aborigines highlights that Aborigines didn’t have a relatively pleasant life under the government’s control, corroborating that the assimilation policy