Indentured Servitude In the decade following the settlement in Jamestown by the Virginia Company in 1607, indentured servants began to arrive in America. With the end of the Thirty Year War, Europe’s economy was left in shambles, and many skilled and unskilled laborers were left without work. This couldn’t have come at a better time for the new colonies as early settlers soon realized help was needed to care for the immense amount of land they had acquired. However, through the course of time many changes and problems arose that eventually lead to the decline of indentured servants all together.
The Arrival of Indentured Servants
The practice of indentured servitude made it possible for those who could not afford passage to the New World. They pledged service to the colony in exchange for the cost of a trip and the boarding fees accrued through the duration of the indenture. A.E. Smith …show more content…
The labor equation changed due to increased supplies, making it easier to buy African slaves instead of white indentured servants (Patterson, 2007). This lead plantation owners and farmers to rely on the labor of enslaved Africans in lieu of indentured servants. By the late 1660’s, Christianity no longer was an obstacle to enslavement and by 1669, the distinction between salve status and indentured servitude was sharply defined (Patterson, 2007).
By the 1830’s, indentured servitude among immigrants had almost entirely ended in North America. Due to the increases in transatlantic shipping helping lower cost of passage, it enabled more immigrants to pay their own fares (Grubb, 1994). In addition, transatlantic banking became more reliable and made it possible for family members to send money for immigrant passage, which was then repaid in other fashions (Grubb,
The Arrival of Indentured Servants
The practice of indentured servitude made it possible for those who could not afford passage to the New World. They pledged service to the colony in exchange for the cost of a trip and the boarding fees accrued through the duration of the indenture. A.E. Smith …show more content…
The labor equation changed due to increased supplies, making it easier to buy African slaves instead of white indentured servants (Patterson, 2007). This lead plantation owners and farmers to rely on the labor of enslaved Africans in lieu of indentured servants. By the late 1660’s, Christianity no longer was an obstacle to enslavement and by 1669, the distinction between salve status and indentured servitude was sharply defined (Patterson, 2007).
By the 1830’s, indentured servitude among immigrants had almost entirely ended in North America. Due to the increases in transatlantic shipping helping lower cost of passage, it enabled more immigrants to pay their own fares (Grubb, 1994). In addition, transatlantic banking became more reliable and made it possible for family members to send money for immigrant passage, which was then repaid in other fashions (Grubb,