Eighteenth-century criminal transportation : the formation of the criminal Atlantic

this Is The First Major Study Of The Convict In The Atlantic World Of The Eighteenth Century. It Concentrates On The Diverse Characters Of The Transported Men, Women And Children, And Their Fate In The Colonies, Exploring At The Local Level The Contrasts In Sentencing, Shipping And Settlement Of Convicts In America. The Central Myths About Transportation Prevalent In The Eighteenth Century, Particularly That Most Felons Returned, Are Examined In The Context Of The Burgeoning Print Culture Of Criminal Biographies And Newspaper Stories. In Addition, The Exchange Of Representations Between The Two Sides Of The Atlantic, And The Changing American Reaction To Convicts, Are Placed Within The Growing Transatlantic Debate On Transportation Before The American Revolution. Above All, The Realities Of Escape, Of Convicts Running Away And Returning To England, Are Subject To Systematic Investigation For The First Time. The transportation of English convicts to the American colonies in the eighteenth century was a judicial, cultural and social phenomenon. This study examines the way that thousands of convicts were sent from the regions when circuit judges and county authorities adopted the penalty after 1718. As transportation became more common, so did the necessity of organizing regular shipments to America. Every region developed a transatlantic traffic in convicts, thus creating a criminal Atlantic alongside that of slaves and servants. The print culture of the eighteenth century, particularly the exchange of news stories about crime, produced a common knowledge of convicts on both sides of the Atlantic. As some convicts escaped from the colonies and returned, so the myths and narratives of the failure of transportation grew. At the end of the colonial period, Americans railed against the British, their criminals, and the criminal behaviour of their politicians, while the British showed their contempt for the American 'race of convicts'. "The transportation of English convicts to the American colonies in the eighteenth century was a judicial, cultural and social phenomenon. This study examines the way that thousands of convicts were sent from the regions when circuit judges and county authorities adopted the penalty after 1718. As transportation became more common so did the necessity of organizing regular shipments to America. Every region developed a transatlantic in convicts, thus creating a criminal Atlantic alongside that of slaves and servants. The print culture of the eighteenth century, particularly the exchange of news stories about crime, produced a common knowledge of convicts on both sides of the Atlantic. As some convicts escaped from the colonies and returned, so the myths and narratives of the failure of transportation grew. At the end of the colonial period, Americans railed against the British, their criminals, and the criminal behaviour of their politicians, while the British showed their contempt for the American race of convicts."--Jacket

This is the first major study of the convict in the Atlantic world of the eighteenth century. It concentrates on the diverse characters of the transported men, women and children, and their fate in the colonies, exploring at the local level the contrasts in sentencing, shipping and settlement of convicts in America. The central myths about transportation prevalent in the eighteenth century, particularly that most felons returned, are examined in the context of the burgeoning print culture of criminal biographies and newspaper stories. In addition, the exchange of representations between the two sides of the Atlantic, and the changing American reaction to convicts, are placed within the growing transatlantic debate on transportation before the American Revolution. Above all, the realities of escape, of convicts running away and returning to England, are subject to systematic investigation for the first time.

Annotation This is the first major study of the convict in the Atlantic world of the eighteenth century. It concentrates on the diverse characters of the transported men, women and children, and their fate in the colonies, exploring at the local level the contrasts in sentencing, shipping and settlement of convicts in America. The central myths about transportation prevalent in the eighteenth century, particularly that most felons returned, are examined in the context of the burgeoning print culture of criminal biographies and newspaper stories. In addition, the exchange of representations between the two sides of the Atlantic, and the changing American reaction to convicts, are placed within the growing transatlantic debate on transportation before the American Revolution. Above all, the realities of escape, of convicts running away and returning to England, are subject to systematic investigation for the first time Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction: the Formation of the Criminal Atlantic....Pages 1-8 Pedlars in the Outports: Transportation, the Locality and the Atlantic....Pages 9-32 Cities, Regions and their Criminals....Pages 33-61 Gangs, Gentlemen and Gypsies: Narratives of Transportation....Pages 62-97 Flight, Escape and Return....Pages 98-126 Panics and Recriminations: Convergence and Divergence and the Criminal Atlantic....Pages 127-154 Conclusion....Pages 155-162 Back Matter....Pages 163-238 "This study examines the way that thousands of convicts were sent from the regions when circuit judges and county authorities adopted the penalty after 1718. As transportation became more common, so did the necessity of organizing regular shipments to America. Every region developed a transatlantic traffic in convicts, thus creating a criminal Atlantic alongside that of slaves and servants."--Dust jacket.