A closer look
Imagine a life where pocketing a spoon might exile you to the other side of the planet. In 18th-century England, laws weren’t just about punishing theft—they were a way to sweep the poor and desperate off the streets. Parliament turned everyday crimes into one-way tickets across roaring oceans, transforming Australia from wild frontier to unwilling colony. Each petty theft carved the outline of a nation, not with grand battles, but with the quiet march of prisoners driven from hunger and harsh statutes. It’s astonishing to think: a stolen teaspoon could redraw the map of the world.
