Once upon a time,
the people of England believed that getting rid of
criminals would end crime. So they sent their
convicts across the ocean to the largest
island in existence. The plan didn't work, but it
did start a whole new country. Today, we're going to
take a look at how exactly Australia became
England's penal colony. But before we get started, be
sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel and let us
know in the comments below what other colonial topics you
would like to hear about. Now, we're going to a
land down under where the women glow and men plunder. Fight. Can't you hear, can't
you hear the thunder? You better stay, your
history class may cover. [MUSIC PLAYING] The main reason for transporting
convicts out of the country was to allow England
to rid its population of the so-called criminal class. But it also served
another purpose. It allowed the English
to expand their realm without sacrificing
any law-abiding members of its citizenry. Creating these new settlements
was no easy task, though. And the convicts were
forced to provide the necessary labor for the
colonies to grow and thrive. It was a win-win
scenario for England. It rid itself of supposedly
harmful individuals while using the convicts as a
valuable resource necessary to expand
the English empire. While Australia eventually
became the chief destination for these convicts, it
didn't start out that way. In fact, initially, the English
transported their convicts to America. It's estimated that
around 2,000 convicts were sent to the nine American
settlements per year, totaling roughly 50,000 convicts
transported across the Atlantic Ocean. These convicts
had been convicted of a wide variety of misdeeds,
ranging from political offenses to abductions. While sending
prisoners to America was a fairly
efficient system, it was eventually interrupted by
a minor historical event called the American Revolution. After the US formally
gained independence in 1783, it became a lot less eager
to take England's criminals off their hands,
and the Brits were left to find a new
place to send them. [MUSIC PLAYING] The major conflict of
the American Revolution started in 1775,
but, by that time, England had already
moved to expand its rule beyond the
North American colonies. In 1770, Captain James
Cook's voyage on the Endeavor established the first contact
between the British empire and Australia. Cook landed on Botany Bay on
the East Coast of Australia in the area now known
as New South Wales. The fact that the continent
was already occupied by indigenous people didn't mean
squat to the British and Cook who immediately claimed
it for the English crown. This action brought yet
another piece of land under British control
and set the stage for not one, but three
Crocodile Dundee movies. Much like the American colonies,
the Australian settlements offered the opportunity
to expand British rule while simultaneously continuing
its penal corrective system. Insert your own Viagra
reference right here. In 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip
of the Royal Navy set out to establish the first
convict settlement, which any fan of Star Trek II, The
Wrath of Khan can tell you was located in a place called-- Botany Bay. When he arrived,
however, Phillip found the area unsuitable
for human habitation. You've got to get
out of here, now. Damn. What about-- what
about the time warp? Never mind it. Hurry. Hurry. So the crew moved
on to Port Jackson, an area that's now part of
the famous Sydney Harbor. 11 British ships brought new
settlers to Port Jackson, six were convict transports,
three were store ships, and two were naval escorts. In all, the fleet brought
736 convicts and 1,000 total settlers to Australia. The voyage took eight
months before the colonists reached their new home. Finding the new area
much more agreeable, Philip quickly
settled into his role as governor of the
first Australian colony. [MUSIC PLAYING] When Phillip landed
in Australia, hardly anything was
known about the new land. Colonizers had little
idea what they would find in terms of food or terrain. They didn't know if indigenous
people were friendly or how many of them there were. When it came to the convicts,
the lack of knowledge was considered a positive. British officials believed
fear of the unknown would stop convicts
from committing more wrongs in their new home. However, in terms of
establishing a colony, the lack of knowledge
meant convicts and free men had to work together
to squeeze success from their new settlement. With that mission
in mind, he sought to reform his convict charges,
rather than simply discipline them. [GUN SHOT] Fuck. The Port Jackson
colony struggled to survive at the start. Many of the settlers
were unskilled in farming and their
lack of expertise lead to failed crops
and a lack of food. However, Phillip insisted
that convicts and free men get the same rations,
no matter how much or how little there
was at the time. In addition, he gifted land to
convicts he deemed deserving, thus giving them a chance
to truly start over in the new world. Practicality,
incentives, and valuing the success of his
convicts, Phillip ensured his colony survived. [MUSIC PLAYING] While the Port
Jackson settlement was meant to be a type
of prison, set away from British soil, Phillips
egalitarian outlook made it more closely resemble a
well-functioning British town. And as the colony found
its footing in the 1790s, convicts and free men
lived comfortably together. The convicts weren't
locked away or relegated to a specific part of town. Instead, they were allowed to
live in their own cottages, where they could build families
and create a comfortable home. When their sentence
was officially served, they could even receive
30 acres of land to call their own on which
they could work and build whatever they wanted. With time, the soldiers gave
up their strict military ways and integrated with the public. They moved away from
their military quarters and built their own homes
within the community, trying their hand
at different trades and establishing a life outside
of service to the crown. Although later penal colonies
treated convicts harshly, the first settlement gave
people an opportunity to start fresh in a
new land with few ties to their past offenses. [MUSIC PLAYING] From the first penal settlement,
in 1788, to the abolishment of convict
transportation in 1868, around 160,000 convicts were
transferred from England to Australia. After the success
of Port Jackson, convict settlements were
established across the country and shipments of prisoners
became a regular occurrence. Another convict colony was
established at Sullivans Cove. Convicts first
arrived there in 1804, and a regular influx of
law breakers began in 1818. As convicts became regular
settlers in the new land, several settlements
were established as a place of secondary
punishment, kind of a prison within a prison. If a convict committed a new
offense while in Australia, they were transported again
to these particular locations for further punishment. These secondary settlements
included Norfolk Island, Macquarie Harbor, Port
Macquarie, and Newcastle. Certain convict establishments
focused more intensely on punishment, while others
emphasized reformation. After serving their
sentences, ex-cons could live a life
of independence with plenty of
opportunities to make money. [MUSIC PLAYING] While Australia was known
primarily as a penal colony, many free settlers were also
attracted to the new continent. New colonies could easily
gain their own land, allowing them to make
the kind of living that might not have been feasible
for them in England. In 1831, Western Australia
became the second colony of free settlers,
though migrants had been making their way
over from European countries for quite some time. South Australia was
colonized in 1836, followed by Victoria in
1851, Tasmania in 1856, and Queensland in 1859. Many of the new settlers
made their living by raising sheep and cattle. They mostly settled
largely on the coasts, steering clear of the dangerous
and inhospitable bush. [ROAR] As Australia gained more
settlers and an increased sense of independent rule,
conflict arose regarding convict transportation. Many settlers
didn't believe in it and didn't like the idea
that their tax dollars were being used for the process. At the same time, England's
opinion on punishment was shifting again. The English stopped believing
in the power of transportation and grew uncomfortable
with the way many convicts were treated when
assigned to private employers. To end the maltreatment
of convicts, England abolished
convict transportation to private employers in 1840. That choice, essentially,
ended convict transportation altogether, though it wasn't
officially eliminated in most Australian states until 1852. During that time, Western
Australian colonists instructed the government
to send convicts to their settlement. The process continued
for 16 more years until convict transportation
was ended completely in 1868. [MUSIC PLAYING] In the 1850s, gold was
discovered in Victoria and, not surprisingly,
migration to Australia surged. As a result, the population
quickly quadrupled, and the country's exports
expanded immensely. By 1891, Australia was a leading
exporter of wool, mutton, dairy products, and wheat. In addition, the population
expanded from 430,000 in 1851 to 3 million in 1891. Australian colonies were
largely self-governing because their interests
differed immensely. Each settlement had
different priorities, which led to general
distrust among the colonists. In fact, between 1860 and
1900, the colonies barely interacted with each other. However, the desire for a united
federation grew over time. And in 1901, the
colonies finally banded together into the
Commonwealth of Australia. Under the new
system, the colonies transformed into states united
under one federal government. The commonwealth
government was in charge of defense, immigration,
customs, marriage, and external affairs. Beyond that, each state retained
the power to make its own laws. Although Australia established
itself as one nation with a federal
government, it was still a dominion of the British
empire, which a lot of folks found a little confusing. But in 1931, the
Statute of Westminster provided some clarity. Under this statute,
Australia was established as an independent
nation equal to Britain with a common
allegiance to the crown. In other words, Australia
was granted full autonomy as a sovereign nation with no
need to abide by British laws, now or in the future. Australia remains a member
of the commonwealth today. In this way, the country
maintains ties to Britain while still maintaining
its independence. So what do you think? Australians, more
Paul Hogan or Jacko? Let us know in the
comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History.
