When and why does the institution of indentured servitude change to a system of race based slavery?

Question

Before blacks were the dominant race for slavery, there were other indentured white slaves. Why did the system changed to race-based slavery??!

Answer 1

The original black slaves were treated as indentured servants in Virginia. They were set to labor for 7 to 14 years (depending on various things) and at the end of that given land and tools. That didn't last long obviously.

When blacks really began losing rights was Bacon's Rebellion. When a lot of free black farmers (who always got hind teat on the land that was distributed) joined with the poor white farmers, they were seen as more of a threat than they'd ever been before. After that all indenture of blacks (who'd never asked to be brought here, obviously) was stopped- they were only to be lifelong hereditary slaves from then on.

White indentured servants were not as expensive to bring over as the purchase price of a slave, but by the time you supplied them with food and clothes for 7 years and then with land and cash or tools upon the end of their indenture (which you were required by law to do), and with land prices constantly rising, they could be more expensive in the long run. (Think of it as kind of like a balloon payment you know's coming at the end of 7 years, and if that comes in a year when crops fail it's really disastrous.) Slaves were ultimately cheaper and you had them forever instead of a set number of years, plus as more people came to the colonies it was easier for indentured servants to run away and show up in another colony- all they had to do was change their name for there was no such thing as ID papers or SSNs, whereas blacks who ran away were recognized instantly as runaway slaves.

Also, indentured servants had rights. If you raped or seriously injured a servant, you could be tried for it. Slaves you had power of life and death over and they had no right to legal recourse.

Answer 2

You might want to be a tad more specific about when and where you're considering. Slavery, on pretty much any basis you can think of (but mainly on the basis of losing a fight) has been a human cultural trait for much of human existance around the world. The idea of "indentured servitude" as opposed to "slavery" is a very interesting one, and could be a topic all by itself. You might want to explore things like 'company towns', 'wage slaves' and other economic servitude, apprenticeships, and such-like. 'Slavery' is not simple chattel slavery after all; there are (and usually were) various shades of gray. Slavery is still with us, too, although nowadays it's more what used to be somewhat euphemistically called "white slavery" (meaning forced prostitution). Sweat-shops and forced labor also still exist around the world; whether you call such practices 'slavery' is pretty much a mtter of semantics.

Answer 3

There was a time in American History that both were used and not unusual for a plantation owner to have both indentured servants and slaves. Then the plantation owners realized that the indentured servants had to be let go at the end of their contract usually after 7 years. and the slaves could be kept for life. Also indentured servants had relatives that they communicated with so the living arrangements had to somewhat basic not so for slaves.

Answer 4

Indentured servitude was a way to pay off debt and most indentured servants in the colonise came from the mother-countries. Once the US became its own country the steady flow of debtor, criminals, and various unliked minorities (gypsies, heritic worshipers of Christianity, etc) stopped and forced the US to choose between hired help (too "expensive") and foreign, more exotic slaves from Africa, South America and some parts of Asia.

Also, though some of the slaves that were brought over were captured by the slave hunters, as seen in "Roots", many were sold to the Dutch, Spanish and English by other Africans. Certain "cultured" tribes that has been trading with the Anglo-world for some time would raid or attack near by smaller tribes and them sell or trade their war-captives for guns, spices, clothes, metal cookware, etc. This was nothing new, as many Etheopian tribes in ancient times traded their neighbors to the Ancient Egyptians, who in turn traded them in Israel, Greece, Rome, Spain and Gaul.

On that note, some of my ancetors were debtors from England and sent to Georgia as indentured servants 50 years before the Revolutionary War. Because of date, I am technically a Daughter of the Revolution but I doubt "ancestors were pre-Revolution slaves" would look good on a resume, so I don't think I'll apply. ;)

~~ Abe

Answer 5

i don't think it changed.. they're two different things

recalling back to history a whole lot of years ago... indentured servitude was a way for people to come over to the country for free... you were not forced into servitude... if someone didn't have money in England and wanted to come over, they would work to pay off that debt. women would be like maids for the household.


slavery was forced servitude.

Answer 6

Excuse me,but Jews were the dominant CULTURE for slavery. England had so many people from Ireland,Wales,and Scotland who were in debt and were sent to the "colonies" in America AND Australia to work off their debt that their families owed to English landowners and tax collectors.
The English had treated their slaves badly,so when the practice of bringing in slaves from Africa,you had the former white slaves (Irish,Scots,and Welsh) who looked down their noses at the Negroes. The Negroes looked down on the Chinese and Mexicans.
"No society can grow unless it abuses the labors of another"
Frederick Douglass