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Positive and negative impacts of colonialism
Impact of colonialism
Positive and negative impacts of colonialism
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NeKalynn Gellington HY 135 (M/W/F 11:15-12:05) Professor M. Hamilton The Struggles of an Indentured Servant in the 17th Century Hopes for a better life and having the opportunity to create a better life is a goal dreamt of by many, especially those who are already living in poverty. During the seventeenth century, exploration by lead by Englishmen lead to the discovery of new land, and a new found hope for many of Great Britain’s wealthier citizens, but also for the poor and destitute portion of the population who were unable to provide for themselves and their families on the overcrowded island where there was very little food and even fewer opportunities for employment. The option to leave Great Britain with all expenses paid on a journey …show more content…
With almost 200,000 immigrants coming into the colonies colonization was also a benefit for indentured servants. Without the opportunity to go over to America, they would have been left in England with possibly nowhere to stay, no food to eat, and no job to help make either of these situations better . Through indentured servitude, they were given somewhere to sleep and at least a small amount of food to eat to keep their strength up enough to work. Even if the food was not as good as it was in London, it was still better than having nothing. Having shelter and a place to lay their head at night was also a benefit that they greatly appreciated because a lot of immigrants did not have that luxury back in England. A lot of the indentured servants lived on the streets of England because they had nowhere else to stay. They were also given the opportunity to learn new trades and given the opportunity to participate in recreational activities rather than just working all the time . Indentured servants saw these benefits as being sufficient enough to leave everything they had become accustomed to and put forth effort in a place to create a better living environment. Women also learned domestic skills that they did not already have such as sewing, cooking, and thoroughly cleaning. People also used indentured servitude as a way to keep their children from growing up without any …show more content…
They saw being able to have a decent meal, a place to stay, and learning new skills as beneficial to their wellbeing as well as the rest of their family. They made the decision to become indentured servants because it was better than being beggars and not having a stale income or a skill to fall back
They preferred African slaves to European or Native American slaves because they "could be held for unlimited terms, and there was no means by which word of harsh or arbitrary treatment could reach their homelands" (Wood, 43). The ability of the Englishmen to hold slaves for an unlimited amount of time and to use any methods of punishment gave them all the power. The indentured servant only worked to fulfill the previous contract as part of the headright system. Colonists "complained of the 'servants that dayley become free"(41). Since the servants had varying terms of service, it made it difficult to keep enough workers. Native Americans were cheap and did not have to be imported, but knew the land better than the Englishmen and could easily escape. There was also a language barrier and they died relatively quick, which made them not worth the investment. This shows some insight into how the African population started to become
By the 18th century, Pennsylvania was becoming home for American Development. Many people that were drawn to Pennsylvania were servants whether, for sometimes 4 years or however long, it took to pay off debt for their travel across the Atlantic. If they weren’t servant, they were slaves who almost had no chance of freedom. Servants had a chance to become free after paying off their debts with work, but not the same for slaves.
During the 1600’s people began to look for different types of work in the new world. As cash crops, such as tobacco, indigo, and rice, were growing in the South, there became a need for labor. This got the attention of convicts, debtors, and other people looking for new opportunities and money. Indentured servitude was vastly growing during the 17th and 18th centuries. Approximatively 10 million men, women, and children were moved to the new world. Women during this time found themselves being sold to men for these cash crops. A commonly used term during this time for these women was tobacco brides. Almost 7.7 million of the slaves captured and moved to the new world were African Americans. Slaves and indentured servants had it rough for
Physical abuse by plantation owners towards both their servants and slaves was common. One account by Thomas Gates in a General Court of Colonial Virginia document about Elizabeth Abbot, an indentured servant, stated that “she had been sore beaten and her body full of sores and holes very dangerously raunckled and putrified both above her wast and uppon her hips and thighs” (General Court of Colonial Virginia). In fact, such abuse towards servants and slaves was so common that the state of Virginia had to make laws for such cases. Unfortunately, colonial governments did not consider corporal punishment illegal. Thus adding to the brutality endured by persons in captivity and servitude during the colonial era. “Moderate corporal punishment inflicted
Since it was easier to grow grain and livestock in the Mid-Atlantic region, there was a diverse group of farmers, fishermen, and merchants who worked in those colonies. The environmental conditions were ideal for farms of various sizes and the Middle colonists could trade in market areas where the colonial regions met. Although a lot of money could be made by growing tobacco (in Maryland especially) and other cash crops, they were bad for the soil and people needed more land. However, this resulted in a newfound lack of labor, which was an issue. For instance, families procreated too slowly, there was a high infant mortality rate, African slaves cost too much, and, according to the colonists, Native Americans didn’t make good slaves. Eventually white indentured servants from Europe were recruited to work on plantations, but it was a difficult life for them- even after they were freed they continued to earn low wages. This high demand of cash crops in Maryland and other Middle colonies led to an overall decline in the wellness of the
As Document 1 shows, there was a huge spike in indentured servants coming over to the colonies from 1645 to 1664. This was because of the Great Migration and poor conditions in England -- the lower classes of England were enticed by the promise of the colonies and flocked there in droves as indentured servants. However, after the Great Migration ended, less and less indentured labor showed up each year, which led to the trend one sees on the “Slaves per inventory” part of the graph. Plantation owners were purchasing more and more slaves to support their plantations in the absence of indentured labor, and the slaves they purchased had kids who eventually began to survive past infancy. Another reason slavery slowly replaced the institution of indentured servitude was because of Bacon’s Rebellion and similar problems with former indentured servants, as seen in Document 5.
The experiences that Richard Frethorne endured were in a lot of ways similar to those of James Revel. Both suffered from sickness and disease, lack of resources such as clothes and shelter, and most unfortunately limited access to food. The big distinction between these two, however, is that Frethorne was shipped to the New World on his own accord in hopes of a free and better life. While Revel was forcibly shipped as a felon, sent in punishment to serve his sentence in slavery.
There are many aspects contributing to the rise of slavery and decline of indentured servitude. The beginning of slavery started when Columbus invaded Hispaniola and enslaved the Arawaks . This was the first time people thought to enslave people against their will for labor. Hard labor and diseases nearly killed off their race, essentially concluding that they were no longer available candidates for labor. Indentured servitude was used as bait to lure people into enslavement and eventually began to fade due to multiple historical events, such as The Bacon Rebellion . African Americans became an easy target because they were less prone to diseases and their bodies were capable of such intense and difficult labor. As slavery began to rise in popularity certain laws were passed through Congress that supported slavery.
The role of an indentured servant in the 1700s was not a glamorous one. They came to the New World knowing that, for a time, they would be slaves for someone they did not know and the risk of disease and death was high, but the opportunity that laid ahead of them after their time of servitude was worth everything to these settlers of the New World. They came to America for the same reasons as all of the other settlers. Religious freedom, land, wealth, and a new start were motives for both settlers and indentured servants but the one thing separating most settlers from the indentured servants was that they could afford their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Indentured servants couldn’t buy their ticket to the New World, but that didn’t stop
With growing demand for labor came the increasing cost of indentured servants, whose four to seven years of labor would end. They would expand to the West, demanding land and creating their own lawless settlements. Bacon's Rebellion came to show landowners that white rebellious males posed a threat, and the event came to represent the threat indentured servitude had become. By 1763, landowners’ focus turned to African slaves for a number of reasons. The amount of land and demand for colonial raw materials and goods skyrocketed along with the developing plantation systems in the Chesapeake other southern colonies. These regions had enormous amounts of slaves; the southern colonies’ population was 30-60% slaves. Slaves were a more profitable source of labor since landowners did not have to pay them. Slaves were typically bound for life, versus the seven year cycle that indentured servants were bound to their masters. This proved to be a more efficient model, especially since slavery became legally perpetual. Slavery was extended through the generations, whereas indentured servants would eventually be
In many ways the lives indentured servants led in the colonies was seemingly privileged compared to that of a slaves. An indentured servant was an individual who had exchanged a predetermined number of years in servitude to their new masters (Faragher 2009, p. 55). Some indentured servants worked out the terms of their agreement prior to arrival. While some of the less fortunate servants were sold in a fashion similar to that of a slave (cummings, 1995). The servants who had pre-established contracts were transferred to their new masters after payment was rendered for their passage to the New World (Faragher 2009, p. 55). The term in which the servant was indebted was usually two to seven years (Faragher 2009, p. 55). However, the Masters had the upper hand because they could expand the length of servitude in accordance to bad behaviors, such as running away or becoming pregnant ("Colonial america,").
misery in no less than 32 children in our ship, all of whom were thrown into the sea.” (Gottlieb Mittelberger, Journey to Pennsylvania in the Year 1750). Once the indentured servants arrived to their destination, they would sign a contract in agreement to serve their designated master. There was no relationship between a master and a servant. It was in agreement that the servant would work
comfortable working in the hot conditions of the Indies. because they had originally come from a very hot climate in Africa. The world of the world. In order to make the best use of the land, more. efficient workers would be needed, and hence the slaves.
When America was first founded the colonists believed that they could do one of two things. They could either ask for entire families and groups of people to come over from England to start family farms and businesses to help the colony prosper. The other option was to take advantage of the lower class people and promise them land and freedom for a couple of years of servitude (Charles Johnson et al, Africans in America 34). Obviously the second option was used and this was the start of indentured servitude in colonial America. The indentured servants that came from England were given plenty of accommodations in exchange for their servitude. They were also promised that after their time of service was complete that they would receive crops, land, and clothing to start their new found lives in America. Men, children, and even most criminals, rushed to the ports hoping to be able to find work in America and soon start their new life. However, a large quantity of them either died on the voyage over, died from diseases, or died from the intensity of their work, before their servitude was complete (Johnson et al, Africans, 34). America finally began to show signs of prosperity due to the crop, tobacco. The only problem now was that the majorit...
Indentured Servants helped the colonies progress their population. England at the time was over populated, and jobs were hard to find. So many people that could not afford the boat trip over to America offered themselves as to be an indentured servant for a period of time. This contractual term can last from between four to seven years. Many colonists preferred having indentured servants over slaves, cause they also helped ward off Native Americans from attacking settlers. The one big draw back of indentured servant was that they usually did not make it pass the first year of their contract.