What was life like for an indentured servant?
The life of an indentured servant was difficult and filled with heavy physical labor. In the Chesapeake Colonies, this was usually field work. It has been estimated that an indentured servant working four acres of corn and tending 1,000 tobacco plants would bend over at least 50,000 times during servitude.
Who benefited from indentured servitude?
Indentured servitude was popular in the United States in the 1600s as individuals, mainly European immigrants, worked in exchange for the price of passage to America.
Which was a disadvantage of having indentured servants?
Many were not used to the intense heat and the blistering sun that they faced in the fields each day. The indentured servants were often treated harshly. Physical punishments such as whippings were common, and in fact, many of the indentured servants died before their term of service was completed. Others ran away.
Did indentured servants get paid?
Indentured servants were not paid wages but they were generally housed, clothed, and fed. The rights to the individual's labor could be bought and sold, but the servants themselves were not considered property and were free upon the end of their indenture (usually a period of five to seven years).
How were indentured servants treated?
Indentured servants were frequently overworked, especially on the Southern plantations during planting and harvesting season. Corporal punishment of indentured servants was expected for rule infractions but some servants were beaten so severely they later died. Many servants were disfigured or disabled.
What happened to indentured servants after they were freed?
After they were freed, indentured servants were given their own small plot of land to farm.
What were the drawbacks of using indentured servants for labor in Virginia?
The drawback of using indentured servants for labor is that they are only able to work for someone for a certain number of years. Then they have to be set free. As for a slave they don't need to be set free after a certain time period.
How did the practice of using indentured servants lead to the use of African slaves in the Americas?
The colonial elite realized the problems of indentured servitude. Landowners turned to African slaves as a more profitable and ever-renewable source of labor and the shift from indentured servants to racial slavery had begun.
Who were the indentured servants in colonial society?
Indentured servants were men and women who signed a contract (also known as an indenture or a covenant) by which they agreed to work for a certain number of years in exchange for transportation to Virginia and, once they arrived, food, clothing, and shelter.
What were the condition of indentured workers?
The conditions at work were harsh, with long working hours and low wages. Given the weak physical condition of the labourers after the long voyage, this took its toll.
How were indentured servants different from slaves?
Slaves are people who are the legal property of others and are forced to obey and work for them. Indentured servants are workers who signed a contract by which they agreed to work for a certain number of years in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, and shelter.
How do you spell indentured servants?
“Indentured servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indentured%20servant.