Britain shipped its criminals to the American colonies from the early 1610s until the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1776. The practice was formalized by the Transportation Act of 1717.
Timeline of Penal Transportation to America
Early 1600s: Britain began sending convicts overseas on an irregular basis, initially based on the royal prerogative of mercy.
1717: The Transportation Act was passed by Parliament, formalizing transportation as a direct sentence for many non-capital felonies (crimes for which the death penalty was considered too severe). This led to a significant increase in the number of people transported.
Peak Years: Between 1718 and 1775, an estimated 50,000 to 120,000 convicts were sent to the American colonies, with the majority going to Maryland and Virginia to work as indentured servants on plantations.
1776: Transportation to the American mainland colonies was abruptly halted by the Criminal Law Act 1776 due to the American Revolution. The newly independent United States refused to accept British convicts.
After the American Revolution
After transportation to America ceased, British prisons and old decommissioned ships (known as prison hulks) became severely overcrowded. This crisis led the British government to seek an alternative destination, ultimately resulting in the establishment of a penal colony in Australia.
The first fleet of convict ships departed for Australia in 1787, arriving in Sydney Cove in January 1788. Penal transportation to the Australian colonies continued until 1868, when the practice was officially ended.