Slaves are owned by another person. Indentured servants signed a 7 year contract to work for that time and pay back the cost of the trip to the colonies. Actually, there are still people today who come here as indentured servants. In CA we have sheepherders that come to work here as indentured servants.
Indentured service lasted until the debt was paid off. Slavery was for life.
Indentured service was treated as a debt with the penalties administered according to debt law. Slavery classified human beings as chattel with no legal rights or recourse.
An indentured servant worked for the person that paid his passage. This would take three or more years. After the debt was paid, that person was free to do what he wanted. This was common in colonial America. A slave was different because the owner kept the slave for life and owned all children of the slave as well.
An indentured servant would work for a specific time, maybe 7 years, to pay off a debt. In most cases, slavery is for life.
The primary difference between indentured servants and people enslaved from Africa was freedom. Indentured servants were indebted to their masters to work and do their bidding for a temporary period of time. In most cases, indentured servants knew ahead of time how long they would be servants. At the end of that period the master was obligated to set the slave free. Indentured slaves also had rights, they could marry and even buy their way out of slavery.
Slaves who were captured and sold during the Transatlantic Slave Trade were bought and sold and classified by law as property. This is known as chattel slavery, and slaves who were subject to this form of slavery were condemned to a lifetime of slavery with no possible chance of being set free. In some rare instances slave owners granted their slaves freedom as a dying wish but this was rare. It is said that Thomas Jefferson who owned slaves requested in his will that his slaves and their children be set free. It was later discovered that Thomas Jefferson had fathered the children of his slave.
Chattel slavery was deeping dehumanizing and there have been no recorded incidents of chattel slavery being practiced other than during this dark period.
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African slavery involved the lifelong enslavement of individuals based on race, with no opportunity for freedom or compensation. European indentured servitude, on the other hand, involved individuals voluntarily entering into a contract to work for a set period in exchange for passage to the New World or other benefits. Indentured servants could eventually gain freedom and sometimes land after fulfilling their contracts.
Slaves are owned by another person. Indentured servants signed a 7 year contract to work for that time and pay back the cost of the trip to the colonies. Actually, there are still people today who come here as indentured servants. In CA we have sheepherders that come to work here as indentured servants.
Indentured servants served for only a fixed time period, after which they were free. Ordinarily they were assigned to one place to do a specific kind of work. Slaves were owned by their masters for life and could be bought or sold.
African slaves were seen as being more economical because they were considered a more permanent source of labor compared to European indentured servants who could gain freedom after a set period. The demand for labor was higher than the supply of European indentured servants willing to come to the colonies, making African slaves a readily available and reliable workforce. The institution of African slavery was already established and accepted in the colonies, making it easier for colonists to continue and expand the practice rather than relying solely on European indentured servitude.
The demand for labor in colonial economies, the decline of indentured servitude, and the belief in racial superiority contributed to colonists' decision to use African slaves. Africans were seen as a more cost-effective and easily controlled source of labor compared to European indentured servants.
African slavery became the prevalent form of labor in the 1680s when European colonists in the Americas turned to African slaves due to a decline in indentured servitude and the need for cheap labor on plantations. The transatlantic slave trade also intensified during this time, providing a steady supply of enslaved Africans to the colonies.
After 1676, African slavery became the main form of labor in the American colonies as a result of the decline of white indentured servitude. This shift occurred after Bacon's Rebellion exposed the risks of relying on indentured servants for labor, prompting plantation owners to turn to enslaved Africans as a more reliable and permanent source of labor.
Both African and European slaves were forced into servitude, typically through violence or coercion. They were considered property and had little to no rights, living under oppressive conditions. Both types of slavery were used to benefit the economic interests of those in power.