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Journey to America
The journey to America was filled with danger and peril. Living quarters on the ships were less than ideal. Gottlieb Mittelberger was one such passenger. He described his voyage across the Atlantic as one of terrible misery. Disease was rampant, including sea sickness, fever, dysentery, scurvy, and mouth rot. This stemmed from the passengers' poor diet of old, heavily salted food and meat coupled with impure drinking water. Those that survived had to deal with hunger, thirst, environmental elements, psychological trauma and lice infestation. Violent storms made for a dangerous ride for the travelers, many times resulting in death.
When these weary travelers' eyes finally set sight on land, their spirits soared. Unfortunately, they would be required to complete their indenture agreement to pay for their passage to the New World before they could truly be free. The long painful journey would end with servitude for another's gain.
A journal excerpt of Mittelberger's experience traveling to America can be found here:
Carl Theo Eben (Philadelphia, John Jos McVey),1898, 25-31.
The journey to America was filled with danger and peril. Living quarters on the ships were less than ideal. Gottlieb Mittelberger was one such passenger. He described his voyage across the Atlantic as one of terrible misery. Disease was rampant, including sea sickness, fever, dysentery, scurvy, and mouth rot. This stemmed from the passengers' poor diet of old, heavily salted food and meat coupled with impure drinking water. Those that survived had to deal with hunger, thirst, environmental elements, psychological trauma and lice infestation. Violent storms made for a dangerous ride for the travelers, many times resulting in death.
When these weary travelers' eyes finally set sight on land, their spirits soared. Unfortunately, they would be required to complete their indenture agreement to pay for their passage to the New World before they could truly be free. The long painful journey would end with servitude for another's gain.
A journal excerpt of Mittelberger's experience traveling to America can be found here:
Carl Theo Eben (Philadelphia, John Jos McVey),1898, 25-31.
![Picture](/uploads/2/4/6/4/24646711/4644090.jpg?1385147175)
A Working Life
Indentured servants were contractually obligated to follow certain rules. You could not marry or have children during your contract term. A servant must get their master’s authorization to leave the plantation, perform work for anyone else, or keep money for personal use. Masters could sell their servants at any time without their consent. A disobedient servant may be punished by receiving a whipping. Those servants that attempted escape or were captured after escaping would have time added to their contract. Many servants did not fulfill their contract terms and reach freedom due to poor living conditions, hard labor, diseases, and environmental changes. Some were killed by the Native Americans. This seemed like a lot to endure for a chance of freedom in the New World.
John Hammond described indentured servant in the middle 1600's in a different light. He acknowledged life was hard when Europeans initially came to Virginia and Maryland. In his view, though, by 1653 conditions improved for indentured servants. He referred to the labor as not that unlike what they are were used to in Europe (farming and artisans). Woman performed domestic duties while men learned a craft. Time was allowed for recreation and holiday observances and plenty of rest was allowed. He described living quarters as well as food and clothing to be sufficient to perform their duties. Finally, Hammond noted the contractual promise of land upon completion of service was enough incentive to fulfill the contractual obligation. According to Hammond, it was worth the trip across the Atlantic to find work in America, even if it meant entering into a labor contract.
It would appear that the treatment of indentured servants varied according to their master and where they lived. Some indentured servants may have been fortunate to get a sympathetic master who treated him/her with respect during their contract term. Other indentured servants may have been forced into slave like conditions.
Indentured servants were contractually obligated to follow certain rules. You could not marry or have children during your contract term. A servant must get their master’s authorization to leave the plantation, perform work for anyone else, or keep money for personal use. Masters could sell their servants at any time without their consent. A disobedient servant may be punished by receiving a whipping. Those servants that attempted escape or were captured after escaping would have time added to their contract. Many servants did not fulfill their contract terms and reach freedom due to poor living conditions, hard labor, diseases, and environmental changes. Some were killed by the Native Americans. This seemed like a lot to endure for a chance of freedom in the New World.
John Hammond described indentured servant in the middle 1600's in a different light. He acknowledged life was hard when Europeans initially came to Virginia and Maryland. In his view, though, by 1653 conditions improved for indentured servants. He referred to the labor as not that unlike what they are were used to in Europe (farming and artisans). Woman performed domestic duties while men learned a craft. Time was allowed for recreation and holiday observances and plenty of rest was allowed. He described living quarters as well as food and clothing to be sufficient to perform their duties. Finally, Hammond noted the contractual promise of land upon completion of service was enough incentive to fulfill the contractual obligation. According to Hammond, it was worth the trip across the Atlantic to find work in America, even if it meant entering into a labor contract.
It would appear that the treatment of indentured servants varied according to their master and where they lived. Some indentured servants may have been fortunate to get a sympathetic master who treated him/her with respect during their contract term. Other indentured servants may have been forced into slave like conditions.