In this assessment, the First Fleet produced a viable colony while leaving a mixed legacy. Settlers came from outside and took Aboriginal land by force. The assumptions and language of the period differ sharply from present-day judgment. The varied conduct of successive governors and lieutenant governors further complicates any single verdict on the colony's founding.
Notable Point · 3:38:40-3:39:53
A viable colony and a legacy of dispossession
The colony's survival is placed beside the forceful taking of Aboriginal land and the varied conduct of its governors.