Life in Colonial America: Indentured Servitude

Indentured servant

White men and women who wanted to make the journey to America but could not afford to pay the passage: agreed to be a servant up to 7 years

What are the forms of servitude

Voluntary and Involuntary

5 facts about Voluntary, Contract servants

1. Ships taking on servants, signs a contract with captain of the ship

2. When he gets enough servants he starts to go to America

3. Captain auctions off the contract to the highest bidder

4. The servants have no idea where they will be going

5. Soul Trackers-Someone that convinced people to go to America as a servant

2 facts about Redemptioners (Non contract, voluntary servitude)

1. About 2 weeks to pay the captain what you owe

2. After the two weeks if you do not pay, you will sign a contract with the captain and he will auction off

2 facts about involuntary servitude

1. England started to send over the “undesirables”

2. Included orphans and criminals

What people came to America to become indentured servants

Single males (unemployed); 50,000 criminals

Servant’s Lives: 3 facts about the Journey to America

1. 1759

2. Bad living situation

3. Tossed dead overboard

Servant’s Lives: 3 facts about the arrival, purchase, and splitting of families

1. Many people sold their children

2. Family splitting is very common

3. If the wife dies, husband has to pay the debt of the wife too.

Servant’s Lives: 5 facts about working on plantations

1. Own the work of the servant not the servant

2. A lot of servants would run away; 10%

3. Many ads in newspapers about runaways

4. 40% died before they are freed

5. Overworked

Servant’s Lives: 8 facts about the restrictions and abuses

1. No damage to master

2. Should not waste or lend master good

3. No marriage unless master is okay with it

4. No taverns

5. No drinking

6. Punishments did not meet the crime

7. 6 years added to contract is a common punishment

8. If you take master to court and you lose you’ll be given back to that person

Servant’s Lives: 6 facts about female servants

1. Shortage of women

2. If eligible, she will become wife

3. 14% of servants were female

4. Many planters did not want a women as a servant for work because she can become pregnant

5. If she becomes pregnant, 2 years are added

   1. Child will be sent to foster family

6. Women tend to be sicker

Servant’s Lives: 3 facts about Freedom Dues

1. 50 acres of land

2. Cow, ox, mule

3. When it’s getting time for servants to finish, owner will accuse the servant of violating the contract

Servant’s Lives: 4 facts about the decline of Indentured servitude

1. Word gets back to servant families

2. Heard stories, so many people did not want to go to America

3. Slaves became a better financial investment

4. Children of slaves also became slaves