American History Hit When Britain Sent Its Convicts to America
Jul 7, 2025
Dr. Anna McKay, a historian specializing in the British Empire's prison systems, dives deep into the intriguing history of convict transportation to America. Over 50,000 prisoners were sent across the Atlantic from Jamestown to 1775, playing a surprising role in the colonial economy and labor force. The discussion sheds light on how these convicts were both comparable to indentured servants and subjected to societal scrutiny. McKay also traces individual convict stories, revealing their complex ties to their homelands against the backdrop of the American Revolution.
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Early Convict Transportation
- From as early as 1615, Britain sent convicts to American colonies as a form of penal servitude.
- This transportation was a solution to overcrowded, diseased prisons and provided forced labor to colonies.
Scale and Nature of Convict Labor
- Tens of thousands of convicts were sent to American colonies mainly as cheap laborers.
- About 48,000 convicts arrived between 1717 and 1775, mostly young unskilled men working in agriculture or trades.
Convict Transportation Logistics
- Convict ships were merchant vessels paid by the government and merchants profited by selling convicts as laborers.
- Buyers inspected convicts' teeth and limbs to select strong workers for plantations.
