Indentured servants provided a labor force for the new colony. Men from England would "indenture" themselves to work for a specified period of time as payment for the voyage to Virginia, after which they were free to settle their own lands
In its initial years as a colony, Virginia had indentured servants. They relied on these indentured servants for most of the labor in the early years.
Absolutely, hordes of them.
The colony with few slaves but many indentured servants was Virginia. In the early days of the colony, before the widespread use of African slaves, indentured servants from England were a significant source of labor.
I think it was harmful because the servants were treated bad
The Virginia Company was responsible for the importation of indentured servants and African slaves to Virginia colony in the early 17th century. The company played a significant role in the establishment and development of the colony by bringing in labor to support its economic endeavors, particularly in the tobacco industry.
The headright system granted landowners 50 acres for each individual they brought to Virginia. This encouraged wealthy landowners to bring indentured servants to the colony. These servants each served from five to seven years in return for their passage, room and board. After their service, they moved to unsettled land with some very basic supplies and cleared the land. In turn, they became landowners and brought indentured servants to the colony. The lasting effects were that Virginia was able to expnad and utilize some of the most fertile land in the Colonies.
Virginia transitioned from indentured servants to slave labor due to a combination of economic factors, including a decline in the availability of indentured servants, the profitability and permanence of slave labor, and the entrenchment of racism that justified the institution of slavery. This shift occurred gradually in response to the increasing demand for labor in the expanding tobacco and agricultural industries in the colony.
all of the colonies had indentured servitude and i think people still do it
The establishment of tobacco farming in Virginia led to the importation of indentured servants and African slaves to work on the plantations. The demand for labor increased rapidly as tobacco became a profitable crop, prompting planters to turn to indentured servants and later to African slaves to meet their labor needs.
In 1652, the Catholic colony of Rhode Island made slavery illegal, and the colony of Virginia had fewer than 500 slaves -- only three percent of its almost 17,000 colonists. The tobacco planters of Virginia were still dependent primarily on indentured servants for labor, the indentured servants not requiring an initial investment as did the buying of slaves.
The colony of Pennsylvania had relatively few slaves but a significant number of indentured servants. Indentured servants were individuals who agreed to work for a specified period in exchange for passage to the New World or for other benefits. The Quaker influence in Pennsylvania played a role in limiting slavery in the colony.
When the colonies required indentured servants or slaves it was to do the work. The first slave arrived in Jamestown in 1609 and after tobacco got a start in the colony workers were needed. Indentured servants didn't work out as well, so more slaves were brought in than indentured servants.