How Did Eddie Mabo Impact The Civil Rights Movement

Freedom of Speech, the right to vote, and the right to equality in public places. These are all basic rights that everyone in this world should have. All over the world, including in Australia discrimination of these rights occurred for the native people of the land. This happened because of their race and skin colour.

In Australia the Europeans took over all the land that the Aboriginals had owned for over 40,000 years. They had lost their livelihood, living in dumps and small humpies, no where near a safe or healthy environment. The indigenous people were treated very inhumanely; being told where they can go, where they can’t go and who they can have relationships with. Of course they grew extremely angry and something drastic needed to

The aboriginal civil rights movement began to grow supporters in 1965 when Vincent Lingiari and the people of wave hill went on strike. Followed by another great man Eddie Mabo claiming back his land for the Mer people. Although both of these great men had a large impact on the Civil Rights Movement, Eddie Mabo had a much larger impact on the Aboriginal rights movement.

Vincent Lingiari inspired a nation and sparked the civil rights movement all over Australia. The news of Lingiari’s actions spread like a wildfire all across the nation. Lingiari was part of the wave hill cattle station in 1965, working for Lord Vestey. The pay for the aboriginal people on the land was shocking, and their food rations were poor. Of course, the Gurindji people were not happy and went on strike. Jens Korff, who has studied aboriginal people since 1999, from the national library of Australia states that at first this strike was for the salary to be raised to $25 a week, but soon grew into a larger