2007-02-21 06:21:03 · 6 answers · asked by candymankilla590 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
An indentured servent would work for someone to pay off a debt. This often turned into slavery though.
Say you owed a man $100 for bringing you to this country back in the 1600's. Let's say you would work for this many "paying" $2 a month through your labor. It would take you 50 months, just over four years, to pay this off.
What would often happen is the original "owner" would sell the indentured serven to someone else when the servent neared completion. Say the new "owner" payed $50 for the servent, and then decided each month was only worth $1, and you were then looking at nother four years of servitude. Then, the original owner would take that $50, "purchase" another indentured servent from someone else, and keep the whole thing going. There are many instances where indentured servents would return to the original "owner" over and over again, still "oweing that person money.
The owners were very good at keeping indentured servent, basically, indentured to someone. So, the difference is that indentured servents entered into this servitude by their own free will. But, once in the system, it was very hard to get out of it. With slavery, those people were taken against their will from the onset.
2007-02-21 06:34:18 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An indentured servant is one who has agreed to work for a certain period in exchange for some benefit. Many of the immigrants to the United States in 17th and 18th centuries exchanged labor for their passage.
The idea of the "indenture" is an old one. Many of Henry V's soldiers were indentured. The indenture is a type of contract, which is torn or cut along a serrated line, resembling "teeth." The servant would retain one half of the contract and the person to whom he was contracted would retain the other.
If there was any question about the contract, the two halves would be put together, thus verifying the contract's legitimacy.
2007-02-21 06:28:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
An indentured servant is someone who works for another person for a set period of time, after which the worker is set free.
2007-02-21 06:24:06 · answer #3 · answered by nisayat 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
A servant who cleans your dentures, then puts fresh poligrip on them for you.
2007-02-21 06:59:50 · answer #4 · answered by Sal D 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it's someone who is a slave for a period of time to pay off a debt.
2007-02-21 06:24:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
One with false teeth, perhaps?
2007-02-21 06:23:38 · answer #6 · answered by primoa1970 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋