Assessment 2
Documentary Analysis
1. What is the main argument from this section of the Molesworth committee’s report used to
describe the convicts as slaves, e.g. is it religious, political, economic?
Due to the compulsory free labour of the convicts, the economy rose with the delivery of cheap
skilled labour, craftsmen, clerks and tradesmen which provided the abilities and expertise to assist in
the construction of a new settlement.
2. Why does the committee argue that transportation to New South Wales must end?
The committee argued that due to economics it was no longer financially feasible to continue to
transport convicts to NSW. The convicts raised more produce than they could consume, and the
government was paying for this surplus, granting a variety of indulgences to the settlers who
engaged a convict. It was costing the British government over and above $7 million of the public’s
money which equates to roughly $190 million in today’s economy. This cost would essentially defeat
the purpose of ‘free labour slaves/convicts’ to increase the wealth of the economy.
3. What other evidence, apart from the main argument of the first document, indicates that the
committee is opposed to the convict system?
As many free settlers would have convict labours on their land, it was quite common that the
