Bound with an Iron Chain: The Untold Story of How the British Transported 50,000 Convicts to Colonial America

By Anthony Vaver
$3.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: July 03, 2011
Words: 16,231 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9780983674412

Short description

In 1723, James Bell stole a book from a London bookstall. As punishment, he was loaded on a ship and sent to colonial America, where he was sold as an indentured servant. In telling the epic story of how thousands of British convicts like Bell were separated from families and transported to America in the 18th century, Anthony Vaver challenges the way we think about immigration to early America.

Extended description

In 1723, James Bell grabbed a book from a London bookstall and started to run, but he was chased by several witnesses and was discovered hiding in a dog kennel. As punishment for his crime, Bell was loaded on a ship and sent to colonial America, where he was sold at auction as an indentured servant for a seven-year term.

Most people know that England shipped thousands of convicts to Australia, but few are aware that colonial America was the original destination for Britain's unwanted criminals. In the 18th century, thousands of British convicts like Bell were separated from their families, chained together in the hold of a ship, and carried off to America. What happened to these convicts once they arrived? Did they eventually prosper in an environment of unlimited opportunity, or were they ostracized by other colonists and doomed to live in poverty?

Anthony Vaver tells the stories of the petty thieves and professional criminals who were subjected to this unique punishment, and in.. (Read more) In 1723, James Bell grabbed a book from a London bookstall and started to run, but he was chased by several witnesses and was discovered hiding in a dog kennel. As punishment for his crime, Bell was loaded on a ship and sent to colonial America, where he was sold at auction as an indentured servant for a seven-year term.

Most people know that England shipped thousands of convicts to Australia, but few are aware that colonial America was the original destination for Britain's unwanted criminals. In the 18th century, thousands of British convicts like Bell were separated from their families, chained together in the hold of a ship, and carried off to America. What happened to these convicts once they arrived? Did they eventually prosper in an environment of unlimited opportunity, or were they ostracized by other colonists and doomed to live in poverty?

Anthony Vaver tells the stories of the petty thieves and professional criminals who were subjected to this unique punishment, and in bringing to life this forgotten chapter in American history, he challenges the way we think about immigration to early America. The book also includes an appendix with tips on researching individual convicts who were transported to America.

Anthony Vaver is the author and publisher of EarlyAmericanCrime.com, a website that explores crime, criminals, and punishments from America’s past. He holds a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.L.S. from Rutgers University, and he is currently working on a new book about early American criminals. He has never spent a night in jail, but he was once falsely accused of shoplifting.
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Tags

punishment, immigration, convicts, eighteenth century, convict transportation, genealogy, colonial america, emigration, history 1700s, crime history, history british

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Reviews

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Review by: Ed Belcher on Jan. 23, 2013 : (no rating)
When I asked my Dad about our ancestors, he smiled and said not much was known. He said our ancestors may have come over from debtors' prison. "Bound with an Iron Chain" looks at immigration from the 1600's to 1776. It points out that 75% of immigrants by 1775 were either slaves (47%), transported convicts (9%) or indentured servants (18%). Only 25% were "Freeman" that paid their way over and started off as farm or plantation owners, government workers, or business owners. Convicts and Indentured Servants got a small amount of money and sometimes land when their service (or term) was complete. As land was taken in Virginia, South Carolina, and Maryland where the majority of them worked on tobacco plantations, the convicts and servants moved west including Kentucky where my ancestors were farmers with plots of tobacco as a cash crop.

The work is well documented and the narrative is far from dry for it weaves individuals' stories taken from newspapers, books, and records to illustrate the flow from crime in Britain, transportation by ship and work in the colonies. A history I had never known, found fascinating and possibly a view of my past.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

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