The Chesapeake Colonies

Experience of an Indentured Servant in VA

• Planters in early seventeenth-century Virginia had bountiful amounts of land and profitable crops in tobacco, but they needed workers to labor their fields. They faced resistance from the Indians and were unable to enslave them, so they recruited poor English servants. These indentured servants signed contracts to work for a specific number of years, typically four to seven, in exchange for passage to North America.

Richard Frethorne

• Early 17th-century Virginia planters had land and crops but needed laborers.

• Unable to enslave Native Americans, they recruited poor English indentured servants.

• Indentured servants signed contracts to work 4-7 years for passage to North America.

• Richard Frethorne describes his struggles with sickness from poor living conditions in his letter.

• He reports sickness like scurvy and poor diet, only eating peas and water gruel.

• Servants worked hard for minimal food, facing constant hunger and deprivation.

• Frethorne expresses despair and longing for England, highlighting the extreme conditions and fear of Native attacks.

• He recounts the high mortality rate among his group, with many dying from diseases.

• He mentions the theft of his cloak and lack of personal belongings, depicting his desperate situation.

• Frethorne explains the arduous trips to Jamestown for supplies, often suffering in harsh weather.

• Mr. Jackson, a kind person, provides some help and comfort to Frethorne, illustrating the humanity amidst the suffering.