Question

Difficulty: MediumThe Convict System

The British convict system was not limited to the first settlement at Sydney Cove. As the need for more land and different types of labor grew, the British government established additional settlements in other regions. Which of the following statements accurately describes the expansion of the convict system in Australia?

  1. Penal settlements were established in several other locations, including Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and the Moreton Bay area (Queensland).Answer
  2. B
    The convict system was strictly confined to the colony of New South Wales, as all other Australian colonies were founded exclusively by free settlers from the start.
  3. C
    The British government sent an equal number of convict ships to every modern-day Australian state capital in 1788 to establish a nationwide prison network immediately.

Answer

The correct answer states that penal settlements were established in several other locations, including Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and the Moreton Bay area (Queensland).
The correct answer is correct because the British government did not limit the penal colony to New South Wales. To manage the growing number of prisoners and explore more of the continent, they established secondary penal stations in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and Moreton Bay (now the Brisbane area in Queensland).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the origin of the convict system in Australia.
The system began with the First Fleet at Sydney Cove, New South Wales, in 1788.
This establishes the baseline for the geographic spread of the system.
2
Recall subsequent historical developments of penal colonies.
New settlements for convicts were founded in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in 1803 and Moreton Bay (Queensland) in 1824.
This confirms that the system expanded to other specific regions over time.
3
Evaluate the status of other colonies regarding their origins.
While some colonies like South Australia were never penal settlements, others were founded specifically for convicts.
This differentiates between the various types of colonial origins in Australia.

Key Concept

Geographic expansion of the Australian penal colonies

Hints

1
Think about whether Sydney was the only place where the British kept prisoners in the early 1800s.
2
Consider the names of states like Tasmania and Queensland and their early connections to the British prison system.
3
The convict system expanded to Van Diemen's Land and Moreton Bay to deal with the increasing numbers of convicts arriving from Britain.

Practice More

Review the specific dates when transportation ended for each of the different Australian colonies.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question