This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. This book focuses on the ways in which the British settler colonies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa treated indigenous peoples in relation to political rights, commencing with the imperial policies of the 1830s and ending with the national political settlements in place by 1910. Drawing on a wide range of sources, its comparative approach provides an insight into the historical foundations of present-day controversies in these settler societies.

Claiming a second empire: imperial expansion and its critics. Establishing settler dominance: Canada - "If they treat the Indians humanely, all will be well"; Australasia - one or two "honorable cannibals" in the house?; South Africa - "The Hottentot at the hustings, or the Hottentot in the wilds with his gun on his shoulder". Entrenching settler control: Canada - "A vote the same as any other person"; Australasia - "Australia for the white man"; South Africa - saving the white voters from being "utterly swamped".