HIST 405N Week 1 Discussion: The Cost of Expansion

HIST 405N Week 1 Discussion: The Cost of Expansion WEEK 1: THE COST OF EXPANSION Good discussion! It's interesting to examine the differences between indentured servitude and slavery. Antoinette summed this up well by identifying the key difference, time. Indentured servants worked for a contracted amount of time while slavery was a permanent institution. It's interesting to also examine the multiple reasons why indentured servitude became less popular than slavery. One reason was that slavery became less expensive for the slave owner. However, it also became increasingly difficult over time to recruit indentured servants. Why may that have been the case? Also, take a look at this letter from an indentured servant in Jamestown (click here.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. What does this primary source tell us about the life of an indentured servant? Response: It may have been more difficult to recruit indentured servants after some time may have been due to the fact that most indentured servants lived and worked in the harsh environment of the South which they were not used to. According to “only about 40 percent of indentured servants lived to complete the terms of their contracts. Female servants were often subjected to harassment from their employers and time was tacked on if they became pregnant. Also, by the time most of the indentured servants were done with their contracts the best lands were already owned by the larger land owners and were given land westward in the mountains and where the Indians were. (U) Reference: U. (2018). Indentured Servants [].