Indentured Servitude
Definition
Indentured servitude refers to a labor system in which individuals, usually Europeans seeking passage to the American colonies, would work for a certain number of years (typically 4-7) in exchange for their transportation and basic needs. They were legally bound to their masters and had limited rights during their period of service.
Analogy
Think of indentured servitude as a temporary job contract with strict rules and obligations. It's like signing up for an internship where you agree to work for a specific amount of time in exchange for valuable experience and mentorship from your employer.
Related terms
Headright System: This term describes a land distribution system used in the Southern colonies where individuals who paid for the transportation of indentured servants received large land grants.
Bacon's Rebellion: This was an armed rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon against Virginia's colonial government in 1676. It highlighted class tensions between poor whites and wealthy elites, many of whom benefited from the indentured servitude system.
Middle Passage: The Middle Passage refers to the journey across the Atlantic Ocean endured by enslaved Africans being transported to the Americas. It represents one aspect of the transition from indentured servitude to chattel slavery during the early Colonial Period.
"Indentured Servitude" appears in:
Subjects (2)
Practice Questions (14)
What might be a potential consequence if indentured servitude did not exist during early colonial times?
What distinguished indentured servitude from African slavery in colonial America?
How did indentured servitude differ from slavery in colonial America?
What might be the impact on colonial society if indentured servitude had not been replaced by racial slavery?
What could be a potential consequence if indentured servitude hadn't been replaced by slavery in early colonial America?
What could be one potential outcome had indentured servitude remained the dominant labor system instead transitioning into slavery during early Colonial Period?
How did the concept of indentured servitude vary between Northern and Southern British colonies?
How did indentured servitude differ from chattel slavery in colonial America?
Why was there a shift from indentured servitude to racialized lifelong chattel slavery in Colonial America?
Why did principles like indentured servitude evolve into racialized perpetual hereditary slavery in British colonies?
How might American society be different if indentured servitude remained as prevalent as it was in early colonial times?
Had indentured servitude continued unabated during this period instead of transitioning mostly to slavery by late-17th century what impact could this possibly make on colonial America?
What could have occurred if indentured servitude rather than slavery became the dominant labor system in Spanish colonies?
What might be an outcome if Bacon's Rebellion of 1676 hadn't demonstrated the potential instability of indentured servitude and pushed Virginia planters towards increased reliance on African slaves?
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