Friday, September 28, 2012

America's Social and Structural Building Blocks: Slavery and Indenture

 http://www.stmaryscity.org/history/Article%20pix/servants-Forme.jpg


What sorts of people became indentured servants? How did the life of the servant compare with that of the slave?

How did slavery affect the spirit of the enslaved? of the enslavers? Would you have rather been a slave or an indentured servant in colonial Virgina?

20 comments:

Unknown said...

The main difference between a slave and an indentured servant was that the servant would one day be a free citizen. Basically, the indentured servant was working off a debt. They were given room and board, and the wages they earned went to pay their debt. After a number of years, when the debt was fully paid, the individual was free to go. The slave, on the other hand, would never be free, except for the unlikely event that their owner decided to grant them freedom. Unlike the indentured servant, the slave was considered the property of the owner for life.

In many instances there was hopelessness, for the spirit of the enslaved but you can find countless instances in History where the inner spirit motivated them to fight on through all the mistreatment and bondage. To the enslaver they felt empowered and kind of full of them self since they had people to do work for them.

If i had to chosse between being a slave or and indentured servent, I would choose to be an indentured servent. They were treated better than slaves and after my debt was paided off i was free again, unlike a slave who is always a slave.

Ketie Chen said...

What sorts of people became indentured servants? How did the life of the servant compare with that of the slave?

The sort of people that became indentured servants were people who were jobless looking for opportunities and didn't have the money to go to New England so rich plantation owners paid for their trip over exchange for their labor until their debt was paid off.

The life of a slave was different because they were slaves for life unlike indentured servants who usually worked for three to seven years. They were brought and sold like animals and treated like them too.They had no hope of freedom and returning home. They were whipped for no reasons and hung if they broke the laws.

How did slavery affect the spirit of the enslaved? of the enslavers? Would you have rather been a slave or an indentured servant in colonial Virgina?

Slavery affected the spirit of the enslaved because they lost hope. They had no freedom and their dreams of returning home to their family were terminated. The enslavers were happy they had someone working on their lands with no extra cost. They were scared of the slave revolts though.

I personally would rather be an indentured servant in Virgina because slaves were slaves for life and they have nothing to look forward to while indentured servants after they finished paying off their debts are free.

Pauline Li said...

The sorts of people who became indentured servants were mostly impoverished and unemployed people in England. The life of a servant compared to the life of a slave was different. A servant agrees to a term of service for a cost of getting to America or other terms in return for their labor. At the end of the term, the servant is free and can return home to their family. However, once you are a slave you are a slave for life unless you run away. Slaves were considered property of the owner, they could be sold by the owner or kept around.

Slavery affected the spirit of the enslaved because they had lost the hope of returning home or even becoming free.

I would have rather been a indentured servant because after paying off the debt I was free. A slave on the other hand, was a slave for life and was not getting anything in return for the many hours of forced labor and there wasn't a definite time that they would be free.

Annaya Frazier said...

Indentured servants were mostly white men who yearned for lands of their own. When they agreed to become indentured servants, they were usually promised a certain amount of acres for he and his family. They differed from slaves because they were not forced into work and would eventually have their freedom again. Indentured servants usually lasted from 3-7 years. On the other hand, slaves were meant to last forever and could not become free again. Unlike indentured servants, slaves also had no rights because of their skin color and were treated horribly from being raped to being lynched.

Slavery affected the spirit of both the slaves and slave owners. Slaves became weak and depressed with no way of ever being happy again. They were forced to leave their homes and families to work on plantations for the white race. With no way to freedom, many slaves gave up on trying to find a way out or longing for a better future. The slave owners became hugely dominant and egotistical. They new they could overpower the blacks and get away with almost everything, and they did not hesitate to do so. Slavery lifted the spirits of the slave owners, they were happy with their lives. Having free labor and complete control over their workers was like a dream.

I would have definitely wanted to become an indentured servant than a slave. That way, I would have been able to stay with my family and have my freedom after a few years with the guarantee of a small amount of land. Treatment woulf not have been as bad and I would have had my rights. Being a slave would have been a different story. No rights, no freedom, long hours, no comfortability, and discrimination everywhere.


Princess Garrett said...

A indentured servant was typically someone who came from England, who would most likely be white.Their expenses to come to the colonies would be paid for them and part of their indentured contracts would be to pay their master back the money for their trip, by working for them. The servants would be supplied with room and board while working on the fields too. After finishing their term for however long they singed on the contract for, they would be granted freedom. Slavery was different because now a person is thought of as property rather than a servant. Slaves usually lived a more brutal life than a servant because they could be beaten, raped and they didn't have to be fed. The majority of the time, they were never freed.One a person was sold into slavery, the control they had over their lives became limited.

People who became enslaved eventually lost their sense of hope, feeling like slavery was something they should just accept. Of course some slaves rebelled, and many times gave up, leading to hopelessness. The enslavers were for the most part pleased. The enslavers had people to work for them that they didn't have to promise much like they had to with indentured servants.

I would rather have been an indentured servant because at least I would have been guaranteed freedom after doing my term of work. Unlike a slave, who was owned by a person and never guaranteed freedom.

Christina Penh said...

Most indentured servants were poor English, Irish, Welsh, and German men. After working the required amount of time for a master, they gained their freedom. The difference is that an Indenture servant has agreed to a term of service in turn for the cost of getting to America or other terms. At the end of the term agreement the Indenture servant will be once again free and no longer required to be a servant. Whereas a Slave will never be free. Slaves are consider property and can not hold land and vote.

I think slavery affected them all differently depending on their place. For slaves they felt as though all hope was lost. They were forced to come into a new world to work on plantations owned by the white race who they never knew existed. Slavery destroyed most ties to their native African countries, including language and cultural links to Africa. It was hard for them to learn English. Some slaves started to hate the color of their skin due to the fact that they were taught everything white was good and everything black was bad. Slavery helped boost up the en-slavers self esteem. They felt empowered and happy.

I would choose to be an indentured servant in colonial Virgina because by law they still were free and had basic civil rights.

Unknown said...

What sorts of people became indentured servants? How did the life of the servant compare with that of the slave?

The people that became indentured servants were usually young men from old England who were seeking for job opportunities. According to the primogeniture law in Old England, only the oldest son can inherit properties. Thus, men who are not the oldest usually seeks for other opportunities. Legally, indenture servants are served as laborers and have a contract to work for a specific time period. Although they are laborers, they still had civil rights. Slaves, however, are officially owned by law. Although there are legal differences between indenture servants and slaves, some people still treat their indenture servants like slaves. Others, however, did treat them with a certain level of respect.

How did slavery affect the spirit of the enslaved? of the enslavers? Would you have rather been a slave or an indentured servant in colonial Virgina?

On this topic, I completely agree with Ketie. Slavery makes the slaves feel hopeless. It instills a sense of fear in them. It may even have mad them afraid of freedom, as it is shown when slaves achieved freedom. When slaves first achieved freedom, some slaves were still afraid to step out to that freedom. However, for the enslavers, Slavery eventually became a natural system to them. i call it a natural system because just as to us, the invention of a computer brings joy to us. However, overtime, it becomes a "natural" thing. We are no longer over-excited when we see a computer because it comes so naturally to us now. I would rather be an indenture servant in Virginia because no matter if my master is cruel or respectful to me, there is a limited term to my servitude.

Christa Rivers said...

The life of an indentured servant, though somewhat brutal, was not nearly as rough as that of a slave. The main difference between their lives is that one was indefinitely forever (unless set free by the master or unless the slave bought his on freedom) while one was generally temporary. Indentured servants were white men who came from the old world to the new world seeking land and prosperity. Indentured servants had more rights than any slave and they also had a hope of freedom. Slaves were owned for life. Indentured servants could be kept in servitude longer if they broke laws or contracts with their masters/mistresses.
SIaves were melancholy and hopeless. Some Africans took their own lives by jumping off ships while in shackles to avoid being taken to the New World as slaves. I would rather be an indentured servant because at the end of the day- provided that I don’t break the contract or any laws- my state servitude is temporary.

Ashani Scales said...

The kinds of people that became indentured servants were those who had debts, and were willing to pay them off through being indentured servants, who were typically white.they were typically white. This compared to the life of a servant in that an indentured servant was guaranteed a free person, after the debt is paid. A slave, however, is born enslaved, and seemingly had no fighting chance to break that cycle.
The spirit of an enslaved person wasn't really broken, it still stayed strong. They had high hopes that one day it'll all be over, and they'll be free. The enslavers really were only worried about themselves, and the businesses they ran. They didn't care. I would choose being an indentured slave over being a slave any day because there was obviously better treatment, and the indentured servants would bee free, unlike the slaves, whose name was set for life. A slave.

Breanne Olsen said...

Indentured servants were usually white English men who were unemployed or needed to pay off a debt. While working on farms or plantations, they were given room and board. Indentured servants typically only worked for 3-7 years.
This differs from slaves because slaves usually worked for their masters their whole life, unless they were granted their freedom. (Which was unlikely). Slaves, unlike indentured servants were considered property rather than workers. Slaves were treated badly, being beaten, raped, and lynched by white masters.
I would rather be an indentured servant because I would feel better knowing that my freedom is guaranteed, and I wouldn't be treated as bad.

Amaya Hawkins said...

Indentured servants were typically poor people from the Old World that wanted to make a living in the New World. In order to be able to pay the ship captain to cross over and live in america, they had to work as indentured servants
The lives of the indentured servants was very much so like the life of a slave. They were both treated like nothing. The indentured servants, as well as slaves, were to provide to their owners every need. The only difference between the two was that indentured servants could legally gain their freedom after a certain amount of years. Slaves were subject to work for their owners for life.
I believe slavery gave the enslaved a sense of futurelessness. They came to America for opportunities and freedom, yet once they came, they were enslaved.
During this time, i would have rather been a slave because your owner will continue to feed and provide you with shelter. If i was an indentured servant, once i become free, i will still be poor. I would leave my masters care and not have any food or shelter. Indentured servants probably didn't know anyone else there. So now, they're stuck in the New World, by themselves, not knowing anyone or where anything is.

April Balobalo said...

The difference between indentured servants and slaves were the slaves did not have the guarantee of being free. Indentured servants were from England men who were poor. unlike the indentured servants, they only worked to pay off a debt because they were poor. Slaves had no choice but to work for their masters because they were owned by them. Slaves had to work basically all their lives unless they were somehow free, or were able to escape. This effected the spirit of the slaves since some might not have been strong emotionally so some would give up and lose hope of ever seeing their love ones or even being free. Their spirits were tested when it came to being a slave since they had no type of freedom.
I rather be an indentured servant since life was more easier for them. They worked hard to know that in the end they would soon be free, unlike the slaves who might be owned all their lives.

mariah medina said...

Indentured servants were people who owed other people, typically white males, money. They were temporarily enslaved until their debt was paid off which usually took many years. The difference between slaves and indentured servants was that slaves were permanent property to their slave owner and indentured servants were only under the slave owners control for a certain period of time.
The spirit of the enslaved was a feeling of hopelessness and not knowing whether or not this cruelty would end. It was also a feeling of fear that their families would have to endure this torture for their entire lives.
In colonial Virginia i would have rather been an indentured servant than a slave because indentured servants were treated better and a little more respected than slaves and they would eventually be able to be free after working off their debt; on the other hand slaves could never be free.

Tina Giang said...

The sorts of people that became indentured servants were the unemployed people, who needs to make money for a living and transportation to a different place. Indentured servant signs a contract stating the service that they have provide for the owner within a certain amount of time. In contrast, slaves are bought from auctions with a specific amount of money for lifetime service. Both the indentured servants and slaves are under the control of their masters. However, the indentured servants receive their freedom back when their contract ends while most of the slaves are never granted their freedom. Slaves can be tortured and punished for no reason.

Slavery affect the spirit of the enslaved by giving them the motivation to suffer from all the bitterness, escape, and gain their freedom once again. The owner becomes more powerful and greedy. Employees that are hired today have daily payments according to the hours they have worked unlike the slaves that are paid off with the termination of one payment. It is beneficial to buy a slave than to hire an employee. In addition, the master prefers to buy slaves for lifetime service without having to sign another contract wasting another budget. The more slaves they buy, the more money they want to make. Slaves are bought to work on plantations to earn the masters more money than what they have lost.

I would rather be an indentured servant in colonial Virginia than a slave because I would receive my freedom back right after the contract is over. Also, I won't have to risk my life to escape in order to gain my freedom. If a slave fails in their mission of escaping, they would be tortured badly as their punishment of disobeying or they might even be killed.

Unknown said...

First off the people who were indentured servants were usually English men who owed money to several people including captains who let people sail with them from the Old World to the New World.The indentured servants would also be men who were poor. Comparing life as a servant with that as a slave was more about the amount of freedom or time that they had to work for their masters, indentured servants would have to work for many many years and then would be freed. Although, slaves had to work for their masters for most to all of their lives.
To me I would think that slavery affected the spirit of the enslaved in ways were maybe it could give them a sense of hope in trying to work hard and follow their masters rules in order to gain their freedom. Although, I can understand why some enslaved people would feel hopeless in the sense that they did not see any sign of freedom or reuniting with their families. This could happpen if their masters thought they did not work as hard as they could have or broke some laws of some sort.
I personally would have rather been neither and been a white man who had land and money that way I would not have to suffer or have major problems that servants or slaves had. On the other hand if that was not an option I would have rather been an indentured servant that way when I completed my contract with my master I would able to return home to my family. I would definitely choose this path because being a slave would just come with a complete life of depression and I would have many times that I would see no hope in life.

Unknown said...

The sorts of people who became indentured servants were poor and unemployed young white men looking for a better oppurtunity at making money and having their own land or they were criminals. Indentured servants worked for a definite amount of time and had freedom and land to look forward to. Slaves were slaves forever and would have no rights and would never see their families again for the rest of their lives.
Slavery crushed and angered the spirits of the enslaved. When being transported from Africa, some slaves jumped ship or starved themselves because they thougt that death would be better than what was in store for them. Slaves sometimes revolted against their owners to no success. Slave owners were in good spirits about slavery because they found something more economical for planting tobacco than indentured servants. Slave owners were also afraid of retaliation by angry slaves.

I would rather be an indentured servant than a slave because I would eventually be free with land and would have the oppurtunity to to work for wages.

Unknown said...

The types of people that were indentured servants were those hoping to escape religious persecution and poverty, jobless coming to america. They became indentured servant when usually a rich, white plantation owner pays for their passage to freedom and room and boarding. They would then work for a fixed amount of years until they repay their debt. The difference between an indentured servant and a servant is that indentured servants would eventually be granted freedom and they became an indentured servant at their own will. A slave has the mentality that they will be slaves for life and were captured and sold like property.

The spirit of the enslaved would be hopelessness. When being enslaved some did not want to leave their country so much they drowned themselves. "..12 negroes did willfully drown themselves, and others starv'd themselves to death..."(spirit51) The enslavers spirit seemed to be heartless. They treated the slaves like animals. "We mark'd the slaves we had bought in the breast, or shoulder, with a hot iron.."(spirit49)
I would rather be an indentured servant than a slave. The conditions seem far more worse than a slave and I would eventually be freed. Also just the thought of being branded with a hot iron makes me cringe and tear up a bit.

Alex Shuster said...

The sort of people that became indentured servants were mostly unemployed men from Old England seeking jobs and land. They became indenture servants to pay off their debt from traveling to Old England to the New World. After their debt was paid they received their freedom and some even received land. Slaves, on the other hand, were slaves for life. They were taken from their home, bought, and sold. Masters could do just about anything to a slave beat, rape, or even lynched.
Slavery affected the spirit of the enslaved by making some feel hopeless but there were times when it motivated them to fight, stay strong, and not give in. On the other hand the enslavers felt powerful, happy, almighty because they had someone elses life in their hand and they got to choose what to do with it. Also, the enslavers were happy because their crops werebeing taken care of for free.
I would rather be an indentured servant in Virginia because indentured servants were treated better than slaves and would eventually be free.

Sageda said...

The main difference between an indentured slave and a regular slave is that one must owe his debt in several years of slavery and the other must fulfill his /her entire life entitled as a slave.

Sageda said...

Also, while you are an indentured slave, you face much more harsh and rough labor than a regular slave. This occurs because the master would want to take advantage of his temporary slave and wouldn't mind too much about his life-slave because "it" is his forever.