The English colonies in America were bustling in the 1600's. Crops of tobacco, rice and indigo along with the plantation economy created a need for human labor, as modern machinery was not yet available. Plantation owners had a choice to make. Should they employ slaves or indentured servants to harvest their crops? One type of worker came with incentives and a contractual arrangement, the other did not. Virginia and Maryland used a Headright System of promising masters land in exchange for providing employment to overseas workers as a way of helping their wealthy aristocrats prosper. Many plantation owners found the reward of land to hire indentured servants from overseas enough to make a clear choice who to employ to work their fields.... indentured servants.
Indentured servants differed from slaves as they came with a contract that guaranteed a length of time for their employment, usually four to seven years. The indentured servants seemed to benefit from this arrangement as well. They received a "free" ride across the Atlantic to the land of promise, room and board while serving out their contract, access to courts where they could testify against their masters if any part of their contract was broken, and freedom dues upon completion of their contract. These freedom dues could include land, money, weapons, clothing and/or food.
This arrangement seemed like a winning solution for both plantation owners as well as the English poor. Conditions in England had deteriorated with years of failing crops and political upheaval creating a desire for many Europeans to seek a better life. Immigrants also arrived from Germany and Ireland, escaping political unrest, troubled economic times, and seeking religious freedom. Over in America, crops needed harvesting and plantation owners were willing to hire due to the land incentive. Men, women and children chose to take the risk and venture to a new land under contract to serve another.
This website provides insight into the life of indentured servants and why only about forty percent lived to complete the terms of their contracts. Viewers will be taken on a journey exploring primary accounts of the quality of life for indentures and what caused many to flee or die prior to completing their contracts. Information can be found on indenture contracts and newspaper ads trying to reclaim escaped servants. Visitors to this site will also learn about The Great Dismal Swamp and its importance to the indentured servants. The journey through the digital museum concludes with a look at how indentured servitude evolved into slavery.
Indentured servants differed from slaves as they came with a contract that guaranteed a length of time for their employment, usually four to seven years. The indentured servants seemed to benefit from this arrangement as well. They received a "free" ride across the Atlantic to the land of promise, room and board while serving out their contract, access to courts where they could testify against their masters if any part of their contract was broken, and freedom dues upon completion of their contract. These freedom dues could include land, money, weapons, clothing and/or food.
This arrangement seemed like a winning solution for both plantation owners as well as the English poor. Conditions in England had deteriorated with years of failing crops and political upheaval creating a desire for many Europeans to seek a better life. Immigrants also arrived from Germany and Ireland, escaping political unrest, troubled economic times, and seeking religious freedom. Over in America, crops needed harvesting and plantation owners were willing to hire due to the land incentive. Men, women and children chose to take the risk and venture to a new land under contract to serve another.
This website provides insight into the life of indentured servants and why only about forty percent lived to complete the terms of their contracts. Viewers will be taken on a journey exploring primary accounts of the quality of life for indentures and what caused many to flee or die prior to completing their contracts. Information can be found on indenture contracts and newspaper ads trying to reclaim escaped servants. Visitors to this site will also learn about The Great Dismal Swamp and its importance to the indentured servants. The journey through the digital museum concludes with a look at how indentured servitude evolved into slavery.