African Slaves and Indentured Servants

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Despite being held at the bottom of the social pyramid for throughout colonial times, the labor of the colonies would prove to be far from useless. While vast, open land was turned into numerous plantations in the colonies by rich planters, the plantations could not purely be run by their owners, creating a great need for labor. This lack of labor would eventually be solved through the use of African slaves, but after the first shipment of slaves to Jamestown in 1619, few were purchased due to high prices for an extended amount of time. The planters, however, would be able to fulfill their need for labor through English indentured servants. Through the use of indentured servants, basically free labor was provided to land owners, while when freed, the servants would receive “freedom dues” which would help them become relevant parts of societies. Some of these freed indentured servants would then hire their own servants, creating a cycle of servants in the colonial economy. Later, indentured servants would give way to African slaves as the most efficient form of labor, a change that would revolutionize the colonies. While the use of indentured servants helped stimulate the colonial economy throughout the 1600s through labor and addition of new landowners, African slaves would be the thriving labor force in the economy in the 1700s, up to and through the American Revolution. Early in the colonial era, the best option for labor was through the employment of indentured servants. These servants would mostly come from England, coming either by force, to escape conviction, or by choice. Those who came by choice hoped that once they served their term of servitude, the “freedom dues” which they received from their master would b... ... middle of paper ... ...course of the colonies’ existence, both indentured servants and African slaves played a major part in maintaining a successful colonial economy. , the Indentured servants, given decent rights and legal privileges, remained under control for the most part, and were able to be productive laborers, helping the economy before receiving their own freedom. African slaves, although coming with the risk of rebellion due to their lack of rights, proved to be extremely efficient workers, helping to create the bustling agricultural economy of the southern colonies. Without the introduction of foreign labor, the colonies would be left with empty plantations, and a stand-still economy forced to import all its agricultural goods. The use of numerous indentured servants and African slaves in the colonies helped to stimulate the economy through their work throughout every colony.

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