Port Arthur Convict Life Essay
Life as a convict at Port Arthur was neither easy or pleasant. Getting to Port Arthur was difficult, the journey from England was long and hard, some men didn't make the trip. The food they had to eat and the clothes they were made to wear was a punishment within itself. It was hard to get through one day in the jail let alone years for some. The punishments inflicted were harsh and cruel and were a high part of convict life. The trades and workload were heavy but in some cases successful for life after Port Arthur.
The journey from England was long and hard. Prisoners were chained up for 8 months at sea. The cells were either made up of wood or iron with bars and they were divided up in compartments. On some ships a load of 50 convicts were
…show more content…
Convicts who had done the worst crimes were sentenced to the hard labor. The government put these men through the hardest physical work they would ever have endure, the upper class relied heavily on this free labour and to establish the prison and all of it's operations. Convicts who had behaved well were given a lighter workload.
Some punishments such as flogging, solitary confinement and heavy irons were given if someone broke the rules or misbehaved. Flogging was a common type of punishment used, not only for prisoners but for guards too. They would be tied to a wooden triangle frame in front of their fellow prisoners and guards and would be lashed with the cat of nine tails. It depended on what you had done but the number of lashes would be between 10-100 on your bare back.
Leg irons were used to restrict your movement and cancel any attempt of escape. The irons were placed around your ankles and the weight varied from 6-13 kg. It was the convicts responsibility to keep the irons in good condition. The irons were worn day and night and could be worn up to a year. They could only be removed by a chisel. The purpose of leg irons were to cause discomfort and pain. The convicts would be left with bruises and leg lesions. In some cases convicts were connected together by the
Marcus Rediker The Slave Ship
552 Words | 3 PagesMany slaves being shipped to America had been betrayed by their own race, kidnapped and sold into slavery. The conditions on the ship were horrendous and each man was chained to an area and given about six feet long by fifteen inches wide. The boats were extremely packed with close corners and no bathroom, and women or children got even less space than the men. Many a times, the crew tried to justify the chaining by stating the it was a form of protection to avoid an uprising. In one of the examples Rediker gave, the slave ship, with Captain Tomba, who was known for brutal beatings including whipping, handing out cruel punishments to scare the other slaves into not acting out.
Research Paper On Martin Cash
895 Words | 4 PagesPort Arthur was a maximum security prison; this prison was notorious for its conditions and was considered unescapable. While serving his sentence cash met and became friendly with two men named Lawrence Kavenagh and George Jones and they planned an elaborate which they achieved on the 26th of December 1842 by tying their clothes to their heads and swimming across the ‘shark infested’ waters. After Their escape they immediately became bushrangers stealing from properties of the rich, home steads, hotels and unsuspecting travellers, they were also involved in several dramatic shoot-outs. This meant that their status grew amongst the poor whom they left alone and their deeds where seen as a Robin Hood adventure which they took from the rich but would not distribute amongst the poor.
Great Expectations Blank 4
433 Words | 2 PagesConditions on these floating jails were allegedly wretched with disease and death rampant. Despite numerous outcries to reform the system and build new prisons the British government instead continued to search for new places to send her convicts Blank 4 (a comma belongs AFTER which word?). This transportation was a common way of dealing with England’s worst offenders Blank 5 (find the word with the error and type it correctly). Convicts were routinely transported to the British colonies in America (until the Revolutionary War) and then to
The American Pageant Chapter 4 Apush
326 Words | 2 PagesSome slaves jumped overboard then suffering. Others staged violent shipboard
Gabriels Conspiracy: Slavery In The 1800's
813 Words | 4 PagesThese rods had pieces of glass in them to rip the flesh. This was a normal thing for the slaves to get scourged or whipped to death. Another reason slavery is hated was because it was unjust. slavery was very unjust because the slaves would only get a few shirts trousers and that was usually it.
Emancipation Proclamation Dbq Essay
979 Words | 4 PagesDuring imprisonment, a prisoner usually had a blanket and a cup or canteen. Food shortages made suffering unbearable. The prison camps were overcrowded, and men slept in shallow holes dug into the ground. Their daily meals consisted of a teaspoon of salt, three tablespoons of beans, and eight ounces of cornmeal. Men drank and cooked with water from a stream that also served as a sewer.
Compare And Contrast The American Prisoners Of The War Of 1812
147 Words | 1 PagesPrisoners were able to work for money, so that they would have money for food and clothing. Prisoners could also join the opposing army, they would do that so they could escape. In some
What Specific Restrictions Were Put On Free Blacks In South Carolina
557 Words | 3 PagesSlave Codes Slave codes were strict laws that slaves had to abide by, in order to avoid severe punishment. Any slave that broke a code were subject to punishment, and those punishments included being tried in court, whipping, and even worse things like execution or imprisonment. The slave codes were harsh and wrong, and many abolitionists reacted to them arguably. What specific restrictions were set on slaves?
How Did Dorothea Dix Treat Women In Jail
754 Words | 4 PagesImagine being trapped in a damp, dark, cage as a form of punishment for something that seems completely out of your grasp. Prisons were understaffed and as barbaric as it gets the people charged with crimes were whipped. The primary cause for their creation was to keep the crooks from harming any people right? Everyone in solitary confinement is treated the same way but not everyone came for the same reason. In fact, mentally ill people were considered to be harsh maniacs which did not receive treatment for a long time.
Frederick Douglass Physical Surroundings Essay
449 Words | 2 PagesCulture, Physical, and Geographical surroundings play a big role in Frederick Douglass. The first example of surroundings in Frederick Douglass is the culture. Most slaves grow up not knowing when their birthdays are, the time, or even the date. “The white children could tell their ages.
Summary Of David Oshinsky's Worse Than Slavery
1278 Words | 6 PagesThey were forced to do the jobs no one else would, especially when working for the railroad companies. “Convicts regularly were blown to bits tunnel explosions, buried in mountain landslides, and swept away in springtime
Frederick Douglass Physical Abuse
553 Words | 3 PagesIn his Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass describes in vivid detail his experiences of being a slave. In his novel Douglass talks about what it was like to move from location to location and what it was like to work long, hard hours with less than substantial sustenance. Eventually he escapes the clutches of slavery but not before he endured beatings, forced hard labor and emotional mistreatment. During his time as a slave he was tasked with various kinds of work and after he became free he worked as a speaker who advocated for abolition of slavery.
Summary: The Atlantic Slave Trade
1613 Words | 7 PagesOver twelve million Africans were captured and taken against their will by Europeans in the Atlantic slave trade from about 1525-1866. The experience that the slaves endured was horrendous, unsanitary and overall the worst time of their lives. The middle passage was where the slaves were taken from Africa to the Americas via ships. After they arrived in the Americas, they were sold and forced to work for their new owners. Due to strong European force, slaves experienced dehumanization through being captured from their villages and tortured, living with awful conditions on ships, and being sold against their will to Americans.
Yima Territorial Prison History
1414 Words | 6 PagesInmates were sent to the Dark Cell when they disobeyed, such as if they did not go to bed when told to, were not clean in person, or their clothing and if their cell was not clean, were not quiet, orderly and decent in his/her behavior. Did not wake up when told to, did not shave once per week and did not get a haircut once per month, and many more. ( Rules and Regulations for Yuma Territorial Prison 1895 ) If they did not get sent into the “ Dark Cell “, they had a chain that had a heavy ball attached to their ankles, or the chain was attached to the floor of their cell and to their ankle. In all the thirty three years of operation, only one hundred and eleven deaths occurred.
Essay On Resistance To Slavery
1618 Words | 7 PagesMany tried to destroy them, but slaves stayed strong and found ways to escape their injustices. The first Africans to reach America landed in Jamestown, the first English settlement in North America. For 250 years, many Africans and African-Americans found ways to resist slavery, ranging from hindrances to violent outbreaks. Resistance to slavery came in many forms. On Southern plantations, some slaves executed small passive acts of resistance, while others ran away.
More about Port Arthur Convict Life Essay
Marcus Rediker The Slave Ship
552 Words | 3 PagesResearch Paper On Martin Cash
895 Words | 4 PagesGreat Expectations Blank 4
433 Words | 2 PagesThe American Pageant Chapter 4 Apush
326 Words | 2 PagesGabriels Conspiracy: Slavery In The 1800's
813 Words | 4 PagesEmancipation Proclamation Dbq Essay
979 Words | 4 PagesCompare And Contrast The American Prisoners Of The War Of 1812
147 Words | 1 PagesWhat Specific Restrictions Were Put On Free Blacks In South Carolina
557 Words | 3 PagesHow Did Dorothea Dix Treat Women In Jail
754 Words | 4 PagesFrederick Douglass Physical Surroundings Essay
449 Words | 2 PagesSummary Of David Oshinsky's Worse Than Slavery
1278 Words | 6 PagesFrederick Douglass Physical Abuse
553 Words | 3 PagesSummary: The Atlantic Slave Trade
1613 Words | 7 PagesYima Territorial Prison History
1414 Words | 6 PagesEssay On Resistance To Slavery
1618 Words | 7 Pages