Indentured Servitude Essay, Research Paper

During the 17th and 18th centuries , countless numbers of immigrants,

mostly from Europe, sold themselves into bondage in exchange for passage to

America . When in America they were called indentured servants ,and would work

for the person who brought them over for a predetermined amount of time , in

order to pay for their passage .The amount of time a servant was bound for was

stated in the contract that they all had to sign , and was usually from four to seven

years , depending on the age , sex , and skill of the servant . It has been estimated

that nearly half of the white settlers in colonial America arrived there as

indentured servants ( Frazier, p.26 ) . In the southern plantations , where most

families had at least two servants performing manual labor , indentured servants

actually outnumbered the black slaves . Indentured servants played a huge role in

allowing many of the American colonies to prosper and grow ( Brenner , p.47 ) .

Indentured servitude allowed for both the farmers in America , and the immigrants

that sold themselves to the farmers , to benefit in their own ways .

Treatment of servants in America varied depending upon the landlord.

Those who were unfortunate enough to have a cruel landlord were often treated as

if they were slaves , and had to endure many hardships during the time they were

obligated to serve . Those who were lucky enough to have a fair and just landlord

had a much easier time . While in servitude they would be able to learn farming

skills and , if allowed to , apprentice under the landlord at their other businesses ,

such as law , printing , or medicine . When their time was up they would have the

chance to start their own businesses or someday their own farms . However , even

if an indentured servant did have a cruel landlord they would eventually be free

and would have the chance to lead a successful life , while slaves , on the other

hand , had no futures beyond being servants ( Warner , p.64 ) .

Many people?s motivation to immigrate to America was to escape religious

persecution . In many countries if you weren?t the religion of preference you

would be singled out as a heretic and be excluded from holding positions of

prominence , wealth , or power . America offered many a fresh chance to live a

new life where they would be able to succeed despite their ideologies (for the most

part ) . People also immigrated to be able to rise from the social class that they

were in . In many countries the class systems were very rigid . If you were born

poor , chances were that you would die poor . To those poor people the chance to

make a good life for themselves far overshadowed any negative aspects about

indentured servitude . These people didn?t really have any idea of what type of a

life they would be living when they arrived in America .

Each indentured servant , before leaving for America , had to sign a

contract stipulating what things they would be obligated to do and what they

would receive for their services while they were there . Here?s a typical contract

that a servant had to sign:

?This indenture , made the 21st of February , 1682 ,

between Richard Browne , aged 33 years of the one

party , and Francis Richardson of the other party ,

witnesses that the said Richard Browne does thereby

promise the said Francis Richardson , and those

properly assigned by him , from this day until his first

and next arrival in New York or New Jersey and after ,

for and during the term of four years , to serve in the

service and employment , as he , the said Francis

Richardson , or those assigned , shall employ him

according to the customs of the country . In

consideration of this , the said Francis Richardson does

hereby promise the said Richard Browne to pay for his

passage and to find and allow him meat , drink ,

clothing , and lodging , with other necessities , during

the said term , and at the end of the said term to pay

him according to the customs of the country . ?

( Frazier , p.26 )

This contract painted a pretty , if not ambiguous , picture for the soon to be

servant . The contract named some responsibilities of the landlord , but mentioned

none of the servant?s , except for him being bound to serve for four years . Other

than that it didn?t say how the landlord was to treat the servant , what conditions

the servant was to live in , and what rights the servant would have while in

bondage .

Richard Browne?s blind optimism , as well as many other?s , left them

shell-shocked when they arrived in the states . The actual experience of servitude

was much different from what it sounded like on paper . Though I do believe that

indentured servitude was a positive thing in America , I?m not going to ignore the

fact that there were many servants who had bad experiences while in bondage .

Many were taken against their will , ripped from their homes , and forced into

servitude , i.e. ; Mr. Joshua Brown wrote :

? My mother was born in Scotland . When twelve to

fourteen years of age , she was , with many others ,

forcibly taken , carried on board a ship , and brought to

Pennsylvania . She was there sold as a servant to Caleb

Pusey , and served her time out . When free she

married my father and settled down . ?

( van der Zee , p.159 )

Servants were double-crossed over the contracts they signed , and were forced to

stay for longer terms then they had originally agreed upon , while others were

whipped and beaten , being treated as badly as slaves were . Here?s an excerpt

from a letter written by Elizabeth Sprigs , an indentured servant writing to her

father in England:

?… O Dear Father , believe what I am going to relate …

I am sure you will pity your distressed daughter …I ,

one of the unhappy number , am toiling almost day

and night … and then tied up and whipped to that

degree that you would not serve an animal . There?s

scarce anything to eat … if you have any compassion

… show it by sending me some relief . ?

( Foresman , p.81 )

Many others were in the same position that Elizabeth was , expecting to have very

comfortable lives when in America and , like her , when they realized what the

reality was , were regretful about their decision to sell themselves into servitude .

For these people , the only thing that kept them from breaking was the hope after

their time as a servant was over that they would be able to start a new life for

themselves and their families . They saw how it was the only option available to

them at the time .

As I mentioned earlier , many people immigrated in order to escape the

things that bound them in their native countries . They came to see that all the

hardships they had to endure during their stints as servants were a small price to

pay for the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families . An

instance where a servant had a positive experience can be represented by another

letter , written by a Mr. Richard Tuggey :

? I take this opportunity of writing you to let you know

I am in Maryland … I am in good place (employment)

… I live as well as any one can in the world … I am

married since I came here … I make good money …

and have saved 200 pounds since I?ve been here … I

have married a sweet gal … I shall bring her to

England…?

( Foresman , p.82 )

This is demonstrative of how a servant was able to benefit from the actual

experience of servitude and not just of being in America . Richard was able to live

a good life while working for his landlord . He was treated as if he were a paid

employee , and didn?t have to wait until his time under the landlord was up to start

a life . Other indentured servants were able to become successes , as well as

important figures in colonial America . Such an example of these people is the

Dulany family .

The rise of the Dulany family is similar to the development of many

American families during the colonial period and after . Daniel Dulany , the

Protestant immigrant , was a youth from Queen?s County Ireland and arrived in

Maryland in 1703 with his two brothers . All three came over as indentured

servants . Daniel , who had spent some time at the University of Dublin , had the

good fortune to be sold to Colonel George Platter , who needed a clerk in his law

office . As so often happened , the law proved to be an avenue of advancement ,

and young Dulany in less than ten years was a practicing lawyer and a landowner .

He had married well to Rebecca Smith , daughter of the well to do Colonel Walter

Smith . Dulany , like many Americans after him , grew wealthy , not only from his

activities as a lawyer and a farmer , but also from shrewd investments in land . He

became one of the most prominent land speculators during the late 18th century .

Dulany?s son Daniel , his worthy successor , as well as his other children , made

up a dynasty of ? social significance ? in the American colonies .

( Wright , p.14)

The Dulanys , along with many other families who first came over as

indentured servants , played important roles in building and strengthening the

young United States . In fact , from the very beginning , indentured servants have

been playing an important role , even at Jamestown . On the Mayflower , one

dozen of the ships passengers were indentured servants . Also many people might

not know that Benjamin Franklin came to America indentured to his brother . He

was twelve years old when he began to apprentice to learn the printer?s trade . His

contract stated that his time would be up when he was twenty one years old , after

nearly a decade of servitude . He would later become a very influential politician ,

as well as President of the United States and would end up playing an important

role in freeing the United States from Britain ( van der Zee , p.60 ) . In the end ,

weather or not you were successful in America depended on your will , and your

determination to succeed . If you wanted success enough it was certainly atainable

if you worked hard enough for it .

The point of my report is not to say that indentured servitude was perfect ,

because it wasn?t . What I?m trying to say is that indentured servitude allowed for

opportunity in places where there was none . It helped to advance many

immigrants , as well as the United States as a whole , beyond what they would

have been able to do in their previous positions . It opened doors that wouldn?t

normally have been open to them and allowed more diverse influences to effect

how the country was run , in turn creating a more tolerant and accessible society

in America .