Involuntary Servants

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The desire for a better new life motivated Europeans to risk their lives and go to the “New World”. Hardships in Britain such as the poor being forced off their lands from the legal process of enclosure forced the lower and middle class to flood to the cities. When they reached the cities, there was diminutive opportunity for a decent livelihood. The extreme hardships in Britain motivated the middle and lower class citizens to risk their lives and make the journey to the “New World” in hopes for a better life. Astonishingly most of those who decided to make the journey knew the odds of survival were not in their favor. After crossing the violent Atlantic ocean and reaching the New World they were faced with starvation, hostile Native Americans, disease and excruciating labor demands.
Meanwhile in the New World, the colonies were expanding and the labor demand versus supply was unmatched. The threat of the Native Americans, foreign colonies, and agricultural dependencies required a vast expendable human resource. Laborers and tradesman of all sorts were in high demand in the colonial times. Therefor the labor supply was in part fulfilled by voluntary indentured servitude. Initially, indentured servitude was critical in the development of the American colonies. The indentured servants probably arrived shortly after the first English colony, Jamestown was established in 1607 (Snyder, 2007). Word traveled that the “New World” had an abundance of land, wealth and a chance for a new life, luring thousands of indentured servants to make the journey. However upon arrival the immigrants quickly came to the harsh realization that the “New World” was far from the paradise they had imagined. Regardless the division between wealthy and poor coupled with the pillaging in Europe drove voluntary indentured servitude to the American Colonies. Indentured servitude provided the passage to the New World for those who could not afford the journey on their own. One could travel to America as long as he or she agreed to complete their servitude that typically lasted between four to seven years. The New World offered a chance to own land, gain wealth, and have access to plentiful resources to those who made the journey. Many of those who lived in Britain experienced the results from overpopulation, as many of rural farmers moved into the cities because they were losing their land to the legal process of enclosure. Although the number of indentured servants consisted of probably nearly half of the white population in the New World, there were issues. The servants rarely lived through the term of their servitude. Many servants died from disease and the
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The voluntary servants were treated better than the involuntary servants, who often consisted of prisoners of war and criminals. Initially the servants came to the New World voluntarily, however, as the demand for labor increased, involuntary servants were sent overseas. There were issues with servants running away from their masters that resulted in harsh punishments. Some of the punishments were the cutting of an Achilles tendon, branding with an “R” and an extension of their servitude. The numbers of servants continued to rise in the early colonies. As the numbers continued to rise, the power and wealth of the white population grew while the ethical treatment of servants continued to

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