Indentured Servants In America

William Gunnell, Jr. travelled with his parents from their home in Great Britain to Virginia sometime before his tenth birthday in 1715. In Virginia, they became indentured servants for a man named Richard Lee. Following his master’s death, William’s indenture was inherited by Richard’s son. William worked for the Lee family for six years as a clerk, running errands and keeping the books. At the age of sixteen, William’s contract ended, and he became a free man (“Indentured Servants,” n.d., para. 4). This is one of the better examples of indentured servitude in the colonies, since most servants did not live to see the end of their contracts. In the colonies, indentured servitude acted as a kind of contract-based slavery in which free people were turned into property for a term of four to seven years, on average. Their owners paid for their food, clothing, and shelter on arrival in the colonies until the servants had completed their contract, upon which they were paid “freedom dues” which could be anything from tools, land, or even guns (“Indentured Servants,” n.d., para. 1).

After reading the through the power point on the scarcity of food globally, I was sad for the people that were starving. They did not ask to be born where they were. However, it is a seeds job to grow where it lands. These people in their starving nations could theoretically be feed if waste was eliminated according to the World Resources Institute.

When Europeans first came to the New World they were stunned to see how cheap land was and how expensive labor was. Many of these settlers relied on Indentured servants and Indians as cheap labor but this came with many disadvantages. Indentured servants “carried too high a price for farmers who raised crops for subsistence.” ( The American Journey Ch. 3, Pg.78) Another disadvantage to using indentures servants was that they only worked long enough to repay the debt they had. Using Indians also came with an array of problems. One of the most blaring problems was the death rate. Many Native Americans died from diseases that the settlers brought with them and some of them died from being overworked with made the death rate sky rocket. Men also

If I were poverty stricken in the early seventeenth century, I would become an indentured servant to get to the New World. I would travel to the New World because there was a better chance at prosperity than by remaining in England. In England in the seventeenth century there were not many jobs that offered enough to become a landowner. By becoming an indentured servant in the early seventeenth century you were able travel across the Atlantic to the New World and make a living. After you served as an indentured servant for your term of indenture you were free and able to purchase your own land. Land in the early seventeenth century was much less expensive than in England and you would have a real chance at making a good life. However,

The colonies of 1916 were desperate for labor and manpower, to grow enough food to stay alive since agriculture and craftwork were key to the development of the colonies. The colonists thought about forcing the Indians to work for them, but they were massively outnumbered (Zinn). Initially, indentured white servants were used for labor, but there was not a sufficient quantity of them and the amount of work was increasing. Fearing a servant revolt, the colonies resorted to using African slaves rather than the servants. They relied on the slaves to work on the plantations or mine precious metals.

Indentured servants deserved to be treated as if they are human beings and not just a form of work. Although indentured servants lived comfortably in some regions, for the most part their bet interest were not taken the into consideration. Their master(s) paid little attention to their need of proper health care or health care at all, the need for a substantial amount of food and clothing. The challenges indentured servants endured were difficult and sometimes ended horribly but the willingness to work for their role and stay in this fast growing society portrayed their true loyalty and dedication despite the poor treatment and

During the seventeenth century, colonial America was welcoming many newcomers, several from England. Quantities of these newcomers were seeking land for economic purposes as others were longing for religious toleration. Many of the English colonists settled in the New England region for religious freedoms, to escape the English king, and leave adversaries of other religions behind. Settlers who resided in the Middle Atlantic region were affected differently. Although the Middle Atlantic was more

Just like how I knew my other article was a scholarly journal was because while searching for articles to choose from I clicked “peer-revied”. Additionally, my article ha d agret amount of cited sources within the reading. Secondly, with the article there was multiple table graphs one stating “Length of Contract of Adult American Indentured Servants, 1800-1818. This was a good way for me to get a visual view as to how many servants there were indentured.

Define Indentured Servants. How were indentured servants brought over to the 13 Colonies? Why were indentured servants needed more in the Southern Colonies?

Salinger, titled “Indentured Servants- Voyage, Sale, Service”, servants typically worked three to seven years in exchange for passage, room, board, clothing and freedom dues. But they also had to agree to leave their family and friends (Salinger 83). While the life of an indentured servant was harsh and restrictive, it wasn't slavery. There were laws that protected some of their rights. But their life was not an easy one and punishments existed. An indentured servant's contract could be extended as punishment for breaking a law, such as running away, or in the case of female servants, becoming pregnant. Additionally, the keepers had an option to blame the servants of doing wrong which led to a longer sentence (Salinger 94). If they decided to run away, then it would be too easy for others to spot due to their pigmentation of their

The history of Colonial American is based on the success of English men whom established great amounts of farm in Virginia and Maryland. Also, it was the era when indentured servants began, both men and women. Men and women that was promised a fully paid fare across the Atlantic Ocean and also a freedom bonus to establish themselves after their contract was up. Although women and men was indentured servants, women did experience a more horrific and shorter life.

Indentured servants were usually white men, women, and children. They worked for multiple years in return for transportation to New England, housing, food, and eventual freedom. (Indentured Servants). The title of indentured servitude comes from the indenture, or contract that they are required to sign. This stated that they were to serve a certain person for a given amount of time, usually between 4 and 7 years. Convicts who were usually charged with theft were also indentured servants. “One-fourth of the British immigrants to the colonies were convicts” (Stratford Hall). However, they were less trusted and employed longer.

Labor in colonial America was scarce. Explain the development of using indentured servants for labor in the colonies. Below are some of the items you may include:

Most of the early American population emigrated from Europe as indentured servants. An indentured servant is someone who has sold himself/herself for bonded labour for a certain number of years and certain amount of freedom dues to be paid at the end of the term, in exchange for transportation to the colonies (Galenson, 1977). This paper looks at the relationship between the destinations the servants selected and the length of the contract. In addition, it also reflects on how the destination preferences has changed over time between 1718 to 1759; the difference in destination preferences between skilled workers, as well as, between genders. The paper hypothesizes that servants with longer term lengths preferred to work in the mainland

In the New World, various resources, climates, and considerable amounts of land allowed numerous opportunities for settlers. Those who once yearned to climb the social ladder or gain the freedoms bestowed from land ownership flocked toward the newfound settlements. Colonization proved to be a grueling task; however, success was found after adapting to the new environment and facing many hardships. Two colonies established early in the seventeenth century included Virginia and New England. Both Virginia and New England were forerunning settlements that differed in the following senses: political, social, and economical.