Today in Labor History December 23, 1617: Just a few years after establishing Jamestown, Europe’s first lasting colony in North America, they created America's first penal colony in Virginia, though England had already been transporting convicts to the New World for several years. Between 1615 and 1699, English courts sent 2,300 convicts to toil in the American colonies, mostly in Maryland and Virginia. Between 1700 and 1775, they sent another 52,200 convicts. Some were as young as nine and ten. The majority had been convicted of petty crimes like shoplifting. Large numbers died from disease on the passage over. Most of the convicts who survived were sold into slavery and were much sought after, as they were cheaper than the white indentured slaves and black chattel slaves who were also living there. Many worked on tobacco plantations.
The majority of early colonists were also slaves, but as indentured servants they had a slightly different status than the convict laborers. Unlike the convicts, they had limited legal protections and rights as “persons,” whereas the convicts were considered property, with far fewer rights. Most of the indentured servants came to the colonies to escape famine and/or debt. They were promised passage to the new world and 50 acres of land in return for seven years of indentured servitude. However, few were ever able to fully repay their debt. Most failed at farming in those early years and survived on native plants and rodents. Over half the original Jamestown population died from starvation. Less than 2% of the population were of African descent through the 1650s. In that period, most of them were also there under the system of indentured servitude, rather than as chattel slavery.
Daniel Dafoe’s “Moll Flanders” portrays the life of one convict transported to the New World. Some call the novel a piece of propaganda in support of the convict transportation system, in part because of his positive portrayal of the Maryland and Virginia penal colonies. Benjamin Franklin, in contrast, said that America should export rattlesnakes in return for the convicts. He called the system “an insult and contempt, the cruellest perhaps that ever one people offered another; and would not be equal’d even by emptying their jakes on our tables.”
#workingclass #LaborHistory #penalcolony #prison #colonialism #classwar #slavery #children #slavelabor #books #novels #fiction #writer #author @bookstadon
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
“Peace through strength is possible,” Zelensky — Investigation: Despite sanctions, American trucks are being used by Russia to launch kamikaze drones — Unidentified drone enters Lithuania from Belarus amid rising tensions — Ukraine liberates Kindrativka village in Sumy Oblast amid ongoing Russian offensive … and more
https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/07/tuesday-july-29-2025/
Today in Labor History December 23, 1617: America's first penal colony was established in Virginia, creating a “safe, humane home” [sic] for the nascent country's future class war prisoners. Between 1615 and 1699, English courts sent 2,300 convicts to toil in the American colonies, mostly in Maryland and Virginia. Between 1700 and 1775, they sent 52,200 convicts, more than 20,000 of to Virginia. Some were as young as nine and ten. They were cheaper than white indentured slaves and black chattel slaves. Many worked on tobacco plantations.
#workingclass #LaborHistory #penalcolony #prison #colonialism #classwar #slavery #children #slavelabor
NSW will remove 65,000 years of Aboriginal #history from its years 7–10 syllabus. It’s a step backwards for #education #boganstate #firstnations #penalcolony #Boatpeople
By limiting the syllabus to events post-1788, the NSW Education Standards Authority indirectly sends students the message that Australia’s ‘history’ began at colonisation.
#Germany’s final three #nuclearpower plants close their doors last year, marking the end of the country’s #nuclear era that has spanned more than six decades.
Meanwhile, #australia , the land of tradies and real estate agents (AND wannabe nuclear physicists like #spud), embarks on an epic journey... Strayia' mate, the quarrypit that exports rocks and imports everything else, is gonna show the Germans how to run a nuclear power plant. #auspol #ginarinehart #lnpfail #olygopolies #penalcolony
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/15/europe/germany-nuclear-phase-out-climate-intl/index.html
"died", my åss!
That fü¢kër had #AlexeiNavalny MURDERED!!!
«Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of #Russian President #VladimirPutin who crusaded against official #corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. He was 47»
#Moscow #Kremlin #Russia #Putin #Novichok #PenalColony #assassination #DmitryPeskov #Navalny #StopPutinNOW #RUpoli
#politics
Masters & Servants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_and_Servant_Act
As little as one hour's absence by a free servant without permission could precipitate a punishment of prison or the treadmill. In 1840, employees in Australia who left their employment without permission were subject to being hunted down under the Bushrangers Act.( In the Melbourne jurisdiction, between 1835 and 1845, over 20% of prison inmates)
https://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/australia/penal_colonies/convicts_trade_union.php
«Jailed #Russian opposition politician #AlexeiNavalny has been tracked down to a #PenalColony north of the #ArcticCircle, his spokesperson said Monday after supporters lost touch with him for more than two weeks»
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/alexei-navalny-arctic-penal-colony-1.7069337
Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has confirmed his arrival at what he described as a snow-swept prison above the Arctic Circle, saying he was in excellent spirits despite his tiring 20-day journey.
Liam O'Mara IV, PhD
MikeDunnAuthor
Kyiv Independent Daily Headlines
Kevin Karhan 
Mojo ♻️
joe•iuculano 
Peter Riley