The Convict Transportation And Its Impact In Early Modern England,1660-1776

This paper focuses on the convict transportation putting in North America from 1660 to 1776,explores the practice and influence of the convict transportation in early modern England.In early modern England,the social economy transconformation,the growing growth and mobility of population and the growing gap between wealth result in the rising crime.Crime became a serious social problem in this period.There are increasing contradictions-the call for protecting business and private property from the rising crime against property and the feeble traditional legal system.Transportation was one of the most significant ways to fill this gap.In 18 th and early 19 th centuries,transportation became a penalty of prime importance as it was taken as a formal punishment by passing the Transportation Act in 1718.From 1718 to the United States declared its independence in 1776,the North America colonies have always been the major destination of convict transportation.The most important feature of the transportation in this period is the way the transportation is supervised.Different from the tradition punishment as capital punishment or whipping is overseen by bureaucrats,transportation is in the charge of private businessman.After reached colonies,the convicts are overseen by their master.By this way,official power became almost invisible in transportation practice and reduced the resistance of penal reform.As transportation has become formal penalty,the court began to sentence most of the petty larceny to transportation.Thereby convicted crimes against property efficiently and widened the net of penal sanctions.The primary influence of transportation is the promoting standardization and modernization of England penalty system.In addition,convict transportation is in essence a kind of forced migration.From 1660 to 1776,Britain banished some 50000 people.This means that the convict transportation is not only a kind of penalty,but also a way to relieve the domestic population pressure.