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Displacing Indigenous Peoples – Class 11 History notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 11 History, chapter 6. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

From the seventeenth century Europeans settled in North America and Australia, displacing the indigenous peoples who had lived there for thousands of years. Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians had their own cultures, economies and close relationships with the land. Settlers took their land through wars, treaties and laws, and many indigenous people died from violence and diseases. In the twentieth century indigenous peoples demanded rights, and governments began to recognise past injustices.

Indigenous peoples

Native peoples of North America lived in bands and tribes, hunted, farmed and traded; they used land collectively and did not see it as private property.
Aboriginal Australians had diverse communities with deep spiritual ties to the land.
Europeans often described them as 'uncivilised', justifying the takeover of their land.

Colonisation and displacement

In the USA, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced tribes such as the Cherokee to move west; the forced march is remembered as the 'Trail of Tears'.
Westward expansion, the gold rush and railways pushed native peoples into reservations; in Canada too, lands were taken through treaties and expansion.
In Australia, British settlement began in 1788 with the idea of terra nullius (empty land), and Aboriginal people were dispossessed.

Struggle for rights

In the USA, the Indian Citizenship Act (1924) gave citizenship, and the Indian Reorganisation Act (1934) recognised some tribal rights.
In Canada, the Constitution Act of 1982 recognised existing aboriginal rights.
In Australia, the Mabo case (1992) rejected terra nullius and recognised native title; in 2008 the government formally apologised to the 'Stolen Generations'.

Key terms

Indigenous peoples: the original inhabitants of a land
Reservation: land set aside for native peoples by the US government
Terra nullius: the false claim that land belonged to no one
Native title: legal recognition of indigenous people's rights to land
Stolen Generations: Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families in Australia

Important questions with answers

What was terra nullius?2 marks

Terra nullius was the legal claim made by British colonisers that Australia was 'land belonging to no one', which ignored the presence and rights of Aboriginal people and was used to justify taking their land. The Mabo case of 1992 rejected it.

How were Native Americans displaced in the USA?3 marks

As settlers moved west, the US government took native lands through wars and treaties that were often broken. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced tribes such as the Cherokee to leave their lands, a march called the Trail of Tears. The gold rush and railways led to further loss of land, and natives were confined to reservations.

Describe the displacement of indigenous peoples in North America and Australia and their struggle for rights.5 marks

Indigenous peoples of North America lived in tribes, hunting, farming and trading, and treated land as a shared resource with spiritual meaning, while Aboriginal Australians had diverse communities closely tied to their land. European settlers saw them as uncivilised and believed that land should be owned privately and used for profit. In the USA, settlers moved west and the government took native land through wars and treaties; the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced tribes such as the Cherokee to move west of the Mississippi, a journey known as the Trail of Tears. The gold rush, railways and expansion of farming pushed natives into reservations, and many died from violence and diseases brought by Europeans. In Canada, lands were similarly taken. In Australia, British settlement from 1788 was based on terra nullius, and Aboriginal people were dispossessed, killed in conflicts and affected by disease; children were removed from families. In the twentieth century, indigenous peoples organised for rights. In the USA, the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and the Indian Reorganisation Act of 1934 recognised some rights. Canada's Constitution Act of 1982 recognised aboriginal rights. In Australia, the Mabo judgment of 1992 rejected terra nullius and recognised native title, and in 2008 the government formally apologised to the Stolen Generations. These steps acknowledged injustice, though many problems remain.

Quick revision

Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians: ties to land.
Removal Act 1830; Trail of Tears; reservations.
Australia 1788; terra nullius.
Rights: 1924, 1934, 1982, Mabo 1992, apology 2008.

Exam tips

Make a comparison table for the USA, Canada and Australia.
Remember: 1830 Removal Act; 1788 Australia settlement; 1992 Mabo case.

Practice MCQs

The original inhabitants of a land are called
1. indigenous peoples
2. settlers
3. colonists
4. migrants
Show answer
Answer: (a) indigenous peoples. They lived there before colonisation.
British settlement in Australia began in
1. 1688
2. 1788
3. 1888
4. 1945
Show answer
Answer: (b) 1788. The first fleet arrived that year.
Land set aside for native peoples in the USA was called a
1. colony
2. plantation
3. reservation
4. township
Show answer
Answer: (c) reservation. Tribes were confined there.
The forced removal of the Cherokee is remembered as the
1. Long March
2. Trail of Tears
3. Gold Rush
4. Great Trek
Show answer
Answer: (b) Trail of Tears. Many died on the way.
The idea that Australia was 'empty land' is called
1. native title
2. manifest destiny
3. terra nullius
4. frontier
Show answer
Answer: (c) terra nullius. It ignored Aboriginal people.
The Mabo case in Australia was decided in
1. 1967
2. 1982
3. 1992
4. 2008
Show answer
Answer: (c) 1992. It recognised native title.
Why did Europeans see native lands as available for settlement
1. they did not recognise collective indigenous land use as ownership
2. natives had written land titles
3. natives invited them
4. the land was uninhabited
Show answer
Answer: (a) they did not recognise collective indigenous land use as ownership. Different ideas of property were used to justify takeover.
The Australian government's apology in 2008 was addressed to
1. the Stolen Generations
2. settlers
3. gold miners
4. British rulers
Show answer
Answer: (a) the Stolen Generations. Aboriginal children had been taken from families.

All chapters of Class 11 History

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.