Black Founders

Black Founders changes the way we think about the foundation of Australia. In an evocative and compelling narrative, distinguished historian and prize-winning author Cassandra Pybus reveals how the settlement of Australia was a multi-racial process from the outset. Pybus has uncovered that our black founders were originally slaves from America who sought freedom with the British during the American Revolution, only to find themselves abandoned and unemployed in England once the war was over.

Enthralling stories of ‘Black Caesar’, who was Australia’s first bushranger, and Billy Blue, the first ferryman on Sydney Harbour, provide a vivid window into early Sydney life. They also show that race relations in the early colony were never a simple matter of white settlers versus black Aborigines.