Indentured Servitude in the Caribbean

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to indentured servitude in the Caribbean, enhancing understanding of the system, its implications, and historical context.

Indentureship

A contractual labour system implemented by Europeans in the West Indies for whites from Europe to serve for five years.

Indentured servants

Whites from Europe who came to the West Indies on contracts of service for five years.

Contract

An official, legally binding agreement.

Forced labour

Being made to perform a task against one’s will.

Resistance

The act of opposing an established system to achieve change.

Arbitrary

Not appearing to be based on any plan or system.

Petition

A formal written appeal or request presented to someone in authority.

Volunteers

Individuals who freely offer to do something.

Planters

Owners of sugar plantations in the West Indies.

Colony

A country or area under the control of another country occupied by settlers.

Settlement

An agreement intended to end a dispute.

Proprietor

The owner of a business.

Sugar Revolution

A shift from growing tobacco to large-scale sugar production for export.

European Indentureship

The contractual system for obtaining labourers from Europe under specific conditions.

The Sugar Revolution and labour

Created a demand for a large labour force due to the complexities of sugar production.

Harsh treatment of indentured servants

Indentured servants faced severe conditions during transit and while working on plantations.

Termination of the Indentureship System

Ended by the late 1680s due to unsuitability of European servants for tropical work, labor demand, and harsh conditions.