Was a Australia a prison island?

Answer 1

This was partly the case. Firstly, there were almost as many marines, sailors and officers as there were convicts on the First Fleet. Secondly, Australia is not an island.

Australia was primarily settled as a convict colony, as conditions in England in the 18th century were tough: the industrial revolution had made it harder for people to earn an honest wage as simpler tasks were replaced by machine labour. Unemployment rose, and consequently, so did crime, especially the theft of basic necessities such as food and clothing. The authorities elected to clamp down heavily on people for minor penalties, hoping to stem the tide of rising crime. The British prison system was soon full to overflowing, and a new place had to be found to ship the prison inmates. The American colonies were no longer viable, following the American war of Independence. England had resorted to using old ships - hulks - to place the convicts at night, but they were extremely unhealthy and overcrowded. Also, the West Indies and Africa were unsuitable due to disease and climate, and India already crowded.

Following Captain Cook's voyage to the South Pacific in 1770, the previously uncharted continent of New Holland proved to be suitable. Cook had claimed the eastern half of the continent for England, naming it "New South Wales", and determined that a small bay in the south which he named "botany Bay" would present the ideal conditions for a penal colony.

However, there were other equally important reasons for colonising Australia.

A colony which established Britain's claim on Australia would also help expand the British Empire and provide a physical presence in the south Pacific. This held both strategic and economic/trade advantages for England. Also, the presence of a colony would enable England to lay claim to Australia during a time when France was rapidly expanding its empire as well.

The Australian continent also had Natural Resources and raw materials which England wanted.

Answer 2

During the 18th century, British prisons were overcrowded with people charged with minor offences. This was an attempt to crack down on rampant crime as people sought to survive unemployment in the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution meant that the development of machines displaced many people from their employment, and the only way to survive was to steal food and other basic necessities. However, because of this, the prisons were so overcrowded that people were even held on hulk - old prison ships - moored along the Thames.

Britain had originally been able to send convicts to America, but the American War of Independence stopped that. An alternative had to be found. James Cook and Sir Joseph Banks had recommended Botany Bay (New South Wales) after their exploration of the region in 1770. The authorities in Britain decided to act on this recommendation, sending the First Fleet of convict in 1787, who then arrived in New South Wales in 1788.

In addition, because Australia was so far away, there was little chance of the convicts getting back to Britain.

Answer 3

Great Britain decided to use prisoners, or convicts, to colonise the Australian continent for several reasons.

There was a major problem in England. Britain's prisons were overcrowded with petty thieves who had resorted to minor theft of food and clothing just to survive - but Britain was determined to incarcerate them as punishment. Unemployment was rife - a side-consequence of the Industrial Revolution - but the country could not provide jobs for them all. The British authorities decided that, by establishing a new penal colony in a land which showed promise for eventually becoming self-supporting, they could also solve this problem of too many criminals. Britain had been sending their excess prisoners to North America, but the American War of Independence put a stop to the practice. Following this, the English were no longer able to transport surplus prisoners who couldn't legally be executed to North America.

Australia was remote, and there would be few people willing to travel there as free settlers, until it was more established. Convicts could be sent there; they had nowhere to escape to; and they could help build up the colony, thereby adding to the British presence in the South pPacific - a desirable outcome in the days of the war against France. Not only would this expand the British empire, but it would prevent the French from gaining a foothold in the Australian continent or in the southwest Pacific.