WI America Used As A Penal Colony Before Australia

WI America had been used as a penal colony by the British in the 18th Century? Could plantations in the Colonies have doubled as prison work farms? Would prisoners have been drafted to fight in the French and Indian War? And what about the American Revolution?
 

Deleted member 1487

Georgia was founded as a prison colony well before Australia was even discovered.
 
I believe that there were a few more states other than Georgia that prisoners were sent to. There was a BBC Radio4 program about those that were given the chance to relocate to the colonies. It was primarily both resentment over the colonies being used as a dumping grounds for Britain's criminals, as well as the eventual loss of the colonies that caused British authorities to look at Australia.
 
It was used as a dumping ground for prisoners before 1783. That's a part of the reason why the British started going to Australia in the first place.
 
The West Indies were originally used as a dumping ground. However, that ground to a halt because white men did not last very long due to heat and disease.
 
Georgia was founded as a prison colony well before Australia was even discovered.

That is not entirely accurate. Georgia was founded as refuge for debtors, many of whom were imprisoned at that time under British law. The Trustees of the colony intended to give these people the chance for a new start on life.

It was not a "prison" colony. People freely chose to go there...debtors were not forced to go. It was not used as a dumping ground for regular criminals, and criminals were not sentenced to be transported there as happened with the colonies in Australia and elsewhere.
 

Thande

Donor
As the others said, America was a penal colony, albeit not a sole-use penal colony as Botany Bay was. I believe the transportation of criminals to otherwise free colonies (aside from slavery, I mean) was one of the causes for resentment among the colonials leading up to the American Revolution.
 
one of my books on the ARW noted that Britain every so often would empty out its jails and send everyone to America, thus transferring the cost and danger to the Americans. Not sure how accurate that was....
 
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