Other masters treated their slaves more humanely than their servants because slaves were regarded as a lifetime investment, whereas servants would be gone in a few years. Indentured servants did have some rights, though, at least in theory. For example, they had access to the courts and were entitled to own land. However, masters retained their right to prohibit their servants from marrying and had the authority to sell them to another master at any time.
A specific similarity between slavery and indentured servitude is that indentured servants could be sold, loaned, or inherited, at least during the duration of their contract terms. As a result, some indentured servants performed little work for the landowners who paid for their passage across the Atlantic. Fiscal Policy. Business Essentials. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice. Popular Courses. What Is Indentured Servitude? Key Takeaways Indentured servitude refers to a contract between two individuals, in which one person worked not for money but to repay an indenture, or loan, within a set time period.
Indentured servitude was not slavery as individuals entered contracts of their own free will. However, indentured servants could be sold, loaned, or inherited, at least during the duration of their contract terms.
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During the 18th century, indentured contracts became less necessary as the costs of immigration to America went down and African slave labor became increasingly attractive to the large landowners of the prospering colonies.
Domestic servants generally worked long hours, seven days a week, for relatively modest wages. Their work was physically demanding. They were clothed, fed, and housed, but had little privacy. Whatever social life they enjoyed in town was limited in the country. The particular duties of each category of domestics cook, maid, waiter, attendant, wash woman, nurse and those who worked outside gardener and coachman were fairly straightforward. Those working in the public areas of the house were expected to complete their tasks without disrupting family activities.
Casual workers were hired as needed. Most of the domestics at Cliveden during the 19th century were Irish immigrant women. Irish immigrants were generally the poorest immigrants who came to America, driven by the potato famine and land scarcity in Ireland due to English policies. Irish women immigrated just as much as their male counterparts, uncommon in immigration patterns, and often worked as servants to wealthy Americans.
Slavery and Servitude. Bookmarks Expand. A indentured servant are people who agreed to work for a person in the colonies.
Unlike slaves that were fed scraps. 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.
Many landowners also felt threatened by newly freed servants demand for land. 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.
What is the headright system? The headright system was a land grant program designed to attract settlers. A typical headright was 50 acres. Indentured servants and slaves were treated in broadly similar ways. They were both brought to the New World in horrible conditions with many dying along the way. They were both subject to physical punishment from their masters. They both worked for no pay and with no control over their working lives.
What was a key difference between indentured servants from England and slaves from Africa? Three-quarters of indentured servants escaped to another colony and found permanent freedom. Why were slaves unlikely to make better life for themselves?
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