John Caesar facts for kids

John Caesar (born around 1763, died February 15, 1796), also known as Black Caesar, was one of the first people from the African continent to arrive in Australia. He is famous for being Australia's first bushranger, a person who lived in the wild and survived outside the law.

Born in Madagascar, Caesar was taken to the United States as an enslaved person. He later made his way to England, where he was arrested for stealing. As punishment, he was sent to the new British colony in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. Life in the colony was very hard, and Caesar often escaped into the bush to survive. Because of his many escapes, he became a legendary figure.

A Long Journey to Australia

John Caesar was born around 1763, likely in Madagascar. His birth name is not known. As a young man, he was taken to America and forced into slavery in Virginia or South Carolina. It was common for enslaved people to be given names like Caesar, and he was probably named by his owner.

By 1786, Caesar was living as a servant in England. He may have escaped to the British side during the American Revolutionary War to gain his freedom. It's also possible his owner was a Loyalist who moved back to England after the war.

Sent to a New Colony

In 1786, Caesar was charged with stealing money from a house in Kent, England. At that time, Britain dealt with some crimes through penal transportation. This meant that instead of going to a local prison, convicts were sent to a faraway penal colony. Caesar was sentenced to seven years in the colony of New South Wales.

On January 6, 1787, he boarded the convict ship Alexander. This ship was part of the First Fleet, the group of ships that brought the first European settlers and convicts to Australia. Caesar was estimated to be 23 at that time.

Life in the New South Wales Colony

An engraving of the First Fleet arriving in Botany Bay in 1788. Ships like the Alexander brought the first convicts to Australia.

The Alexander arrived at Botany Bay on January 19, 1788. Caesar was sent to work on Garden Island, which was known as one of the harshest work sites in the new colony. He became known as "Black Caesar" and gained a reputation as a conscientious and hard worker.

Life as a convict was incredibly tough, especially because food was always scarce. The colony struggled to grow enough food, and convicts were often malnourished. In 1790, a typical weekly food allowance was just 1 kilogram of pork, 1.2 kilograms of flour, and 1 kilogram of rice. John Caesar, being a tall man (six feet tall) and muscular, was constantly hungry. Because of his hunger, John Caesar sometimes took food that wasn't his. On April 29, 1789, he was caught taking food and, as a consequence, his sentence was changed from seven years to "transportation for life." This meant he would have to stay in the colony forever.

Australia's First Bushranger

Just two weeks after his new sentence, Caesar escaped into the bush. He reportedly took some rations, an iron pot, and a musket (a type of gun) with ammunition. A British officer, David Collins, called him "an incorrigibly stubborn black."

Caesar was very clever at surviving in the wild. He would steal food from the colony or from local Aboriginal people. After he was caught, Collins noted that Caesar was not afraid of being punished. He was sent back to work on Garden Island, this time in chains.

On December 22, 1789, Caesar escaped again. He struggled to find food after losing his musket and was speared by local Aboriginal people. He returned to the colony and surrendered. He was sent to a hospital to recover from his injuries.

Life on Norfolk Island

Instead of punishing him further, Governor Arthur Phillip pardoned Caesar. In March 1790, he was sent to Norfolk Island, another island settlement. By July 1791, he was supporting himself on a plot of land at Queenborough and was given a hog. In January 1792, he was granted one acre of land and was required to work three days a week.

During his time on Norfolk Island, John Caesar met Anne Power, an English-born convict who had arrived in Australia in 1790. They had a daughter together, named Mary Anne, who was born on March 4, 1792. However, John Caesar later left Norfolk Island in 1793, returning to Port Jackson (the main settlement in New South Wales), leaving Anne and Mary Anne behind.

Encounter with Pemulwuy

Caesar wounded the Bidjigal warrior Pemulwuy during a fight in 1795.

In the late 1700s, there was often conflict between the new European colonists and the Aboriginal people, who were the original inhabitants of Australia. A brave and respected Aboriginal warrior named Pemulwuy led attacks against the colonists as part of a larger resistance.

In late 1795, John Caesar was part of a convict work party at Botany Bay that was attacked by Pemulwuy's warriors. During the fighting, John Caesar seriously injured Pemulwuy. At first, it was believed that Pemulwuy had been killed, and for a short time, John Caesar was held in high regard by the colonial authorities for his actions.

Final Escape and Death

In December 1795, Caesar escaped for the last time. He led a small group of other escaped convicts, and they raided settlements around Port Jackson. The colonists were warned not to help him.

On January 29, 1796, Governor John Hunter offered a generous reward of five gallons of spirits for John Caesar's capture. Caesar was eventually tracked down by two men, ex-highwayman John Wimbow and agriculturalist James Ruse. They found his hiding place at Liberty Plains (which is now Strathfield, a suburb of Sydney). In February 1796, in a confrontation, John Wimbow fired his musket, and John Caesar was sadly shot. He died a few hours later on February 15, 1796.

Anne Power, John Caesar's daughter's mother, passed away shortly after him, on March 25, 1796, on Norfolk Island. Their orphaned daughter, Mary Anne, was adopted by a woman named Hannah Fisher and was later baptized as Mary Anne Fisher Power in 1806. She eventually left Norfolk Island for Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) in 1814.

Legacy

Much of what we know about Caesar comes from the writings of British officer David Collins.

John Caesar holds a unique and important place in Australian history as the first Australian bushranger. Bushrangers were people who lived in the bush, often outside the law, and became famous (or infamous) figures in Australian folklore. While many famous bushrangers were white men of European descent, John Caesar's story is special because he was an African man. His life highlights the incredible journeys and challenges faced by people from diverse backgrounds in the early days of the Australian colony.

In Popular Culture

John Caesar's remarkable life has inspired many stories and historical research.

He appears as a character in Thomas Keneally's 1987 novel "The Playmaker" and its stage adaptation "Our Country's Good". These fictional works help people imagine what life might have been like in early colonial Australia.

In 2021, John Caesar was portrayed by Mohamed Osman in the docudrama "Our African Roots". This series aimed to show how Black people contributed to Australian national identity right from the time of the First Fleet.

Historians like Santilla Chingaipe and Kimberly Cheek have studied John Caesar's life, emphasizing his incredible journey across four continents – Africa, North America, Europe, and Australia. This journey reflects the broad global experiences of many Africans in the 1700s. These historians also point out that many early records about John Caesar were written by colonial authorities and might reflect the biases and racism of the time. They suggest that his significance might have been overlooked for a long time because his story didn't fit the typical image of an Australian hero.

Fun Facts About John Caesar

• He was widely known as "Black Caesar" because of his African heritage.
• Caesar was described as being six feet tall and very muscular, which made him stand out in the early colony.
• He holds the historical title of being the very first Australian bushranger, a significant figure in Australian national identity.
• Caesar escaped from custody a total of four times, showing his incredible determination and strong desire for freedom.
• His life journey took him across four continents (Africa, North America, Europe, and Australia) – an amazing and challenging trip around the world for his time!

See also

• List of convicts transported to Australia
• African Australians