VELS 5
VELS 6Prejudice in children's books
Prejudice in children's books
Use these materials with the worksheets on the right, to help students evaluate sources, analyse documents and study a single image in detail. Below the worksheets are printable versions of all materials, which you can use in the classroom.
For more information on evaluating sources see:
See curriculum links
Relevant VELS Level 6 standards include:
The Humanities -
History
- analyse events which contributed to Australia's social, political and cultural development (ie. European colonisation)
- evaluate the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Thinking Processes
- analyse alternative perspectives and perceptions
- make informed decisions based on the analysis of various perspectives and, sometimes contradictory, information.
For more information see Curriculum Links Level 6 [pdf 47KB]
See background information
Children's books need to be evaluated, just like any other source. The following are
examples of children's books that reflect the cultural prejudices of the time
in which they were written.
For additional
information, see:
The Pioneers of Port Philllip
The young Australian's alphabet
Date created
1871
Important to note
The
images in this children's alphabet include Australian scenes and animals
instead of British images, which was unusual for this period. However, the book
illustrates some very specific - and common - cultural stereotypes of the time,
with the first page reading, ‘B is for black fellow we all can see, lazily
sleeping under a tree.'
The pioneers of Port Phillip
Creator
Philip St. John Wilson
Date created
1935
Important to note
During
the 1930s, there was renewed interest in foundation stories due to the
centenary of Melbourne's European settlement. This children's history
textbook refers to a range of reliable primary sources, but also reflects the
stereotypes of its time. It focuses on John Batman as the founder of Melbourne, and describes Indigenous people as ‘backward' (p. 8)
and ‘lazy' (p. 7).
Whitcombe's pictorial story of Australia for young Australians
Creator
Whitcombe and Tombs (publisher)
Date created
1934
Important to note
This
children's history text describes Aborigines as a ‘stone age' race that
couldn't cope with the settlers' advanced weapons and tools, introduced
diseases and alcohol (p. 16). It illustrates the common belief that Indigenous
people had ‘died out' as a result of European settlement, and makes record of
Aboriginal cultures and traditions as those of
an extinct people.
The school paper: Australian history
Creator
Education
Department of Victoria
Date created
1911
Important to note
Like
Source 3, this newspaper maintains that there were hardly any Indigenous people
left in Australia, and even includes the past-tense title ‘How the
blacks lived'. The section ‘Merri-jig' states that Indigenous people had no
fixed place of abode, and that violence between squatters and Aboriginals was
due to Aboriginals stealing stock off squatters' land.
