Indentured Servants
The Changers of Colonial Times
By: Brayden Miller
Introduction Paragraph
Oh how I wish to live in a new country to live a better life. That is what I think an Indentured Servant would say. They were English immigrants who wanted a better life. They signed a contract to work in America through 4-7 years. They worked for many colonies and did the work their owners told them to do. If it wasn't for the Indentured Servants these colonies wouldn't have survived.
Indentured Servants
female Indentured Servant working
male Indentured Servants working
Who were they?
Who were these amazing people from England who worked in colonial times? Those people were Indentured Servants and they were kidnapped and brought to America. They were remembered as the first white slaves. It is around 100 kids that were sent from England to America per year for 6 years. That means that they sent about 600 kids in 6 years! They even signed a contract to work in America from 4-7 years. If I was living in colonial times I would be lucky to have Indentured Servants living in my colony.
Punishments and Rules
If you were an Indentured Servant you would have an owner and he/she would tell you what to do, but if you didn't there would be consequences. The life of an Indentured Servant in Colonial times was harsh and restrictive but it wasn't slavery. An Indentured Servant signed a contract before they left England that said an Indentured Servant would work in America from 4-7 years depending on their age. Those were the things that came out of Indentured Servants when they worked in America.
Why did They Come Over?
It would be crazy to sign a contract to work in a New World from 4-7 years and leave behind their family and friends, but their is a reason behind it. One of the reasons is that after their service was up they wanted land for themselves. Another reason is that they wanted to believe in their own religion. They even left to learn skills from their owners depending on what they were. Their are the reasons why Indentured Servants came to America.
Concluding Paragraph
I bet the people in colonial times were lucky to have Indentured Servants. They did a lot of work. They were people from England who were forced to sign a contract to work in America. An Indentured Servant had an owner and he/she told them their orders. Even though an Indentured Servant lived a very strict life their were good things that came out of it. This is how Indentured Servants lived, worked and were treated.