The Penal Colony
"More than two centuries ago, on 26th January, 1788, 11 British ships arrived in Port Jackson. They had been at sea for months and people on board had survived storms, hunger and disease. The ships were filled with English convicts, people who had committed minor crimes in England and who would now live for the rest of their lives in this strange new land." ("A Foreigner in Australia", Fiona Smith. Burlington)
Hard to believe, isn't it? Australia, the big prison. Imagine how the new arrivals would have felt at the prospect of a new life in such an unknown place. Although some of the convicts became rich after finishing their sentences, many of them died from disease and malnutrition.
Why did England send the minor criminals here? Well, the answer is quite simple. At that time, Britain ruled the world and they thought they could expand their Empire by populating an "empty piece of land" (or so they thought) with minor criminals who would be given the opportunity to start from scratch once they had seen out their sentences and help to make a British colony here.
TASK. Put yourself in the shoes of one of these convicts. Leave a comment on "The Convicts' Wall" with your first impressions on arriving to Australia. Ask your teacher for the code. Your comment must be between 50 - 80 words. The deadline to post your comment is Friday, 28th October.
