Bound for America: The Transportation of British Convicts to the Colonies

Bound for America chronicles the British government's systematic transportation of convicts to colonial America between 1718-1775. The book tracks the movement of 50,000 prisoners who were sentenced to terms ranging from seven years to life in the colonies. Ekirch documents the entire process of convict transportation, from British prison conditions and initial sentencing through the ocean voyage and arrival in America. The text examines the roles of merchants, ship captains, colonial officials, and the convicts themselves in this complex system of punishment and labor. The book draws from extensive primary sources including court records, government documents, merchant correspondence, and convict narratives from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Statistical data and detailed accounts reconstruct the scale and impact of this forced migration program. This historical analysis reveals deeper themes about criminal justice, labor systems, and the complex relationship between Britain and its American colonies in the decades before the Revolution. The transportation of convicts exemplifies how British authorities attempted to solve domestic social problems through colonial policy.

Readers cite the book as a data-driven examination of convict transportation that focuses on logistics and statistics rather than individual narratives. Liked: - Detailed research using primary sources and court records - Clear explanations of the transportation process from arrest to arrival - Tables and figures providing convict demographics - Coverage of conditions aboard ships and mortality rates Disliked: - Dense academic writing style - Limited personal stories or first-hand accounts - Focus on statistics over human elements - Some sections repeat information Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (12 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (6 ratings) Sample review: "Meticulous research but dry reading. Would have benefited from more individual case studies to balance the statistics." - Goodreads reviewer "Strong on facts and figures but lacks the human drama that made transportation such a compelling part of colonial history." - Amazon reviewer

White Cargo by Don Jordan, Michael Walsh. Explores the history of indentured servitude in colonial America, detailing how poor Europeans were shipped to the colonies as forced laborers alongside convicts.

Gangs of London by Brian McDonald. Chronicles the criminal underworld of 18th century London and the British justice system that led to convict transportation.

The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. Documents the British penal colony in Australia and the transportation of convicts after the American Revolution ended convict shipments to North America.

London Lives by Tim Hitchcock and Robert Shoemaker. Examines the criminal justice system of 18th century London through court records and personal accounts of defendants who faced transportation.

Hell Around the Horn by Rick Spilman. Details the maritime history of convict ships and trading vessels on the Atlantic routes between Britain and colonial America.

🔹 In addition to being an expert on convict transportation, author A. Roger Ekirch is renowned for his groundbreaking research on historical sleep patterns, discovering that humans traditionally slept in two distinct segments during the night. 🔹 The mortality rate during convict transportation voyages averaged around 15%, which was actually lower than the death rate in British prisons of the same period. 🔹 Many transported convicts went on to become successful colonists, with some estimates suggesting that nearly 50,000 modern Americans can trace their ancestry to these British convicts. 🔹 Female convicts, who made up about 15% of those transported, were often in higher demand in the colonies due to the shortage of women and their valuable domestic skills. 🔹 The practice of convict transportation was so profitable that ship captains would sometimes kidnap innocent people from British ports to sell them as convict servants in the colonies.