Indentured Servants in America

At times in the 1600's and 1700's, about half of the people coming to the American colonies were indentured servants.  The indentured system sought to relieve the shortage of labor in the colonies. The time of service could range from 4 to 7 years, but most contracts were for 7 years. The death rate among these servants ran much higher than the general population. Penalties for those who ran away ranged from being put to death in some areas to having their servitude doubled in others.

These men and women became the property of their master until their indenture was over. They could not marry during this time or do anything without the master's permission. He had absolute power over them and could rent them out or sell their indenture to someone else. For all intents and purpose, they were slaves, except their servitude would end, while the slaves' and their children's didn't. 

A person usually agreed to become indentured in order to pay for his/her passage to the colonies. The price for an indentured servant was about 17 pounds, while a similar slave sold for around 35 pounds. Of course, the slave was purchased for his or her lifetime, while an indentured servant was bought for only a specified number of years. The system slowly began to decline after the Revolutionary War.

In When Winter Is Past, my historical novel set in Pennsylvania in 1737, Stanton Klein has indentured servants to help on his farm. Some work out better than others. Here is an excerpt:

“You need any help in town today?” Ralph McCarthy asked Stanton.

He looked at his indentured servant. Oftentimes he didn’t feel comfortable leaving the young man at the farm by himself, but he had nothing firm to base that on, and he shook off the feeling.

“No, you best stay here today. The fields are always in need of weeding, and I won’t be hauling that much back.”

Ralph nodded, almost losing the hat from his fiery-red head in the process. The sun seemed to make his freckles multiply by the minute.
           Stanton had bought Ralph’s indenture after Frank Coddle had served out his bondage and left. Frank had been indentured while his grandfather still lived, and the old man had no longer been able to work. Stanton had liked Frank. In fact, he’d paid Frank wages to stay on for a while, but the man had saved some money and set out to make his own way. He’d married well, had a farm of his own in another county, and had sons to help him.  

(Profits from all my books go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.)

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