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Life in the British Colonies
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Vocabulary
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auction
indentured servant
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Key Concepts
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The main job of the planter's family
was to watch over the work of the servants and slaves.
Many of the earliest workers in the colonies
came over from Europe as
indentured servants.
An indentured servant was a person who agreed to work for another person without pay for a certain length of time. A planter or other business owner paid for the trip. The indentured servant agreed to work for two to seven years. Once the time was over, the servant was free.
Not all indentured servants came willingly to the British colonies. Some were
sent by British courts to work in the colonies
as a punishment. Other
indentured servants were people who were kidnapped and then sold in the colonies. At first, Africans who were brought to
the British colonies had been
kidnapped and were sold as indentured servants.
But by 1650, traders were
bringing thousands of African slaves
to the colonies. The slaves were sold to planters at an auction, or
a public sale. Slaves were not indentured servants. Slaves were not
given their freedom after a certain length of time. They were enslaved
for life. Laws were passed that made slaves
of the children born to slaves. |
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Servants and Slaves
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Additional Information
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