Indentured Servitude Research Paper

438 Words2 Pages
Control of labor was a great force in developing the newly settled British colonies in North America. Labor is, to this day, a major factor in the economy and how societies function. The major labor control systems in colonial North America were indentured servitude, chattel slavery, and competency. Indentured servitude was a very common labor control system in the 17th century in North American colonies. Indentured servitude occurred when a person wanted to emigrate from Europe to the newly settled North American colonies. If they didn’t have enough money to immigrate, they would basically be sponsored by a wealthy person who would pay for their passage to the colonies. As payment for their passage, the immigrant would sign into a labor contract for a five year period. Many people who immigrated to North America would have not been able to had it not been for indentured servitude.…show more content…
It was also one of the only way that someone could afford to have helpers on their farms. Had it not been for indentured servitude, many tobacco farmers would not have the success that they did. Chattel slavery was a form of slavery in which a person is bought, sold, and used as if they were livestock. It came to North America in 1670 when South Carolina was colonized by farmers from Barbados where chattel slavery was a very common practice. Chattel slavery was a significant force within North American society because it was cheaper than indentured servitude due to the fact that the slave owners only had to pay for the person once and never needed to properly compensate the laborer for their work. The process of buying and selling a person as if they were a piece of livestock meant that the slave owner could treat the slave however they wanted because they are less than
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