Indentured Servitude In The Early 1600s

In the early 1600s, the main labor system was based on indentured servitude. However, as time went on landowners felt cheated due to the lack of stability it brought, as many indentured servants died before they could fulfill their contract, or constantly attempted to run away due to the poor working conditions. Many indentured servants were poor and were told that becoming an indentured servant would help them in the long run. As the demands for more labor increased, slavery presented itself as an economically feasible and useful tool. Though some may say indentured servitude was the main reason for the establishment of freedom and slavery, broader causes like the geographical conditions of the colonies, the economic climate of both England
Additionally, the geography of the area allowed for large plantations and farms. Bringing more people to the New World was promoted as people were given land if they did. However, early on, the British realized that they didn’t want to participate in farming itself, deeming it as work for those lower than them. At first, when slavery was introduced, they were given certain freedoms. Later on, statutes like Virginia’s statute of 1662 caused the tiny scraps of power that they once had to completely deplete. The “Free Slaves” were practically stripped of their newfound rights, and their freedom often equated to poverty down the line. This gave more power and freedom to the landowners. They didn’t perceive the horrible conditions of the Africans as a lack of freedom that they were enforcing, and instead, they viewed it as gaining more freedom. To expand, they saw as being free enough to be in charge of someone or something else. As tensions grew, many slaves began to rebel against the unfair treatment. The colonists had newfound ideas of liberty attributed to the enlightenment ideals of Locke- life, liberty, and