Who's More British...

[SteveDallas]

Those who came to America from England in the years leading up to 1776 did so voluntarily. The US then declared independence and actively fought to separate from England. So they certainly had reasons to disdain all things British.

The Australian transportees were forced out, and presumably would have stayed in England if they had been able to. So while they can't have been happy with the mother country, maybe they would have less of a chip on their shoulder to prove to each other how un-British they were.

[limey]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

Those who came to America from England in the years leading up to 1776 did so voluntarily. ....

Except
1) the Protestant fathers who were forced to leave England in order to have the freedom to practice their religion; and
2) the Scottish crofters who were forced to leave their homes and often their native land by English landowners to make way for sheep-farming (I concede a lot of these went to Canada, and after 1776 ...)

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by limey

Except
1) the Protestant fathers who were forced to leave England in order to have the freedom to practice their religion; and
2) the Scottish crofters who were forced to leave their homes and often their native land by English landowners to make way for sheep-farming (I concede a lot of these went to Canada, and after 1776 ...)

Well taken. My point was that the population wasn't made up entirely, or almost entirely, of convicted criminals.