ABSTRACT
The first generation of women settlers in Queensland were profoundly determined by imperial problematic and colonial encounters. The frontier wars, brutal convict origins, and a limited number of white women shaped the nature of early free settlement at separation from NSW in 1859. The male-only vote for the Lower House had strict eligibility requirements, and a man could have multiple votes (plural votes) depending on assets. Take up of Indigenous lands proceeded apace especially through the promotion of immigration and a land grant system which cemented the economic disparity not only between the races but also genders.
This chapter addresses imperialism, religion, race, and class through the lives of delightful early free settlers Mary McConnel and others like her, who became suffragists and philanthropists. In addressing the imperial origins, the depth of divisions between white women, let alone women of other races, on the divisive issue of the ‘property’ vote and the impacts of the wage disparity between white and black labour becomes clearer. Despite the huge influx of settlers who outnumbered the aspiring elite, pastoralists dominated the economy and parliament for the next 50 years. The version of colonial feminisms they argued shaped later feminist campaigns for the vote.
