Our Convict Ancestors
Life in Australia wasn't always as it is today. Many changes occurred throughout the 18th century. Europe hit its highest peaks as the industrial revolution changed society and everything else. The population grew rapidly, approximately by 27 million over a period of 150 years. This population rise catered for the extremely high demand for labourers needed at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Yet as the population increased, the crime rates increased greatly as well. This occurred greatly in Britain, and with the strict laws in place, many were sent to prisons, leaving all the prisons heavily overcrowded. The government had to respond to this dilemma quickly and began sending the prisoners abroad in order to colonise newly discovered regions, far from Britain, one of them being Australia. The convicts travelled harsh conditions; some not even surviving the journey. They travelled to establish new colonies on the other side of the world which eventually lead to the establishment of Australia and the significant nation it is.
The Industrial Revolution was a time in the 18th and 19th century when Britain transformed from a predominately agricultural nation, into the most manufacturing workshop of the world (Woolacott, 2012). For most it was generally a good thing, but for some they weren't so lucky. Major changes in the industry and transportation occurred. It started in the mid-1700s in Great Britain when machinery began to replace manual labour. The first great change was to energy: human labour and animal labour were replaced by steam, then gas and electricity. Machinery was the next greatest change. A huge flow of inventions and ideas as well as new techniques that transformed the way important things such as coal and steel were made. The third great change was to size or scale of...