Australia’s, and America’s, Convict Pioneers

January 18th is perhaps the biggest day in Australia’s history.

Life there changed forever on this day back in 1788.

It’s the day the first ship of the “First Fleet” of western colonists arrived on the continent, 225 years ago.

Many of those aboard those crowded, damp wooden ships may have been pleased to see land after the nine months at sea since leaving Britain.

But these were no ordinary settlers.

They were mostly convicts, deported from Britain, together with a few soldiers to keep an eye on them.

The hope was to reduce crime in Britain, and offer criminals the opportunity at a new life.

At the same time, it was hoped the convict settlements would secure valuable ports for Britain in the Pacific Ocean, where trade was booming.

The indigenous people of Australia, the aborigines, were not consulted, and suffered severely for generations after this day.

Americans may be surprised to learn that the British practice of deporting criminals did not begin with Australia.

The reason Britain launched this new venture on the other side of the world, was because the previous outdoor prison had, well, declared its independence in 1776.

Yup, America, is where for decades thousands of British convicts had been sold into indentured servitude. It turns out, most of these villains were exported to Maryland.