Indentured Servitude With Slavery in the Colonies

¶ … Indentured Servitude With Slavery in the Colonies

Compared Indentured Servitude with Slavery in the Colonies

America is a country that was built upon the labor of those who were not in power. Much of the labor in the early days of the colonies and states came from indentured servants and slaves. Though both kinds of labor have similarities, the lives of indentured servants and of slaves differed distinctively. Eventually, over the course of early American history, the legally and socially, the country moved away from indentured servitude and became a slave-based economy. Slavery persisted throughout much of the country for hundreds of years. For a combination of reasons, including ethnic prejudice and economics, the United States of America did away with indentured servitude and used slaves as the primary labor force.

Indentured servants did not have easy lives in many cases. Indentured servants came from a variety of ethnic and social background. Many indentured servants were in debt before leaving their home country, which was very likely in Europe. Indentured servants may not have been in debt before their voyage to the colonies, and became indentured servants as a way to repay the fare for their passage to the new country, as well as any items they would need immediately upon arrival. Indentured servants worked for people who had moderate to excessive income. They performed a variety of labors inside and outside. Indentured servants were servants for a specific duration of time or until their results of their labor(s) equates to the debt they acquired. Indentured servitude was a temporary situation. Indentured servants often had the opportunity to start their own private, productive lives immediately after or shortly thereafter their servitude was over.

Slavery was a permanent state. Slaves often were born into slavery and lived their entire lives as slaves. There were many instances were families were broken up and sold to various owners. Enslaved people did not give their consent as indentured servants did; indentured servants made legally binding agreements to be servants for a particular period of time. Slaves were taken from their home countries and brought to the colonies without their consent. Slaves were not allowed to practice or publically keep their cultural traditions from their homelands. While indentured servants suffered some abuse by the people they served, slaves were almost always physically and psychologically abused by their masters. Slaves were brutalized on a regular to excessive basis. Slaves were not allowed to better themselves outside of labor; education was illegal for slaves.