Slavery and Servitude
Essential Question: In a land of immigrants, what IS an American?
Guiding Thought: What impact did those who were coerced to immigrate into the colonies have on the American identity?
Guiding Thought: What impact did those who were coerced to immigrate into the colonies have on the American identity?
Indentured servants first arrived in America in the decade following the settlement of Jamestown by the Virginia Company in 1607.
The idea of indentured servitude was born of a need for cheap labor. The earliest settlers soon realized that they had lots of land to care for, but no one to care for it. With passage to the Colonies expensive for all but the wealthy, the Virginia Company developed the system of indentured servitude to attract workers. Indentured servants became vital to the colonial economy. |
In 1619 the first black Africans came to Virginia. With no slave laws in place, they were initially treated as indentured servants, and given the same opportunities for freedom dues as whites. However, slave laws were soon passed – in Massachusetts in 1641 and Virginia in 1661 –and any small freedoms that might have existed for blacks were taken away.
As demands for labor grew, so did the cost of indentured servants. Many landowners also felt threatened by newly freed servants demand for land. The colonial elite realized the problems of indentured servitude. Landowners turned to African slaves as a more profitable and ever-renewable source of labor and the shift from indentured servants to racial slavery had begun. |
Indentured Servants Ads
You will look at selected ads, all of which describe escaped indentured servants accompanied by escaped slaves. Take notes using the accompanying worksheet. Insert this in your notebook. Indentured Servants Ads (PDF) |
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The American Experience: Slavery and Servitude
Slavery & Servitude NarrativesClick the button below to access the narrative instructions. Materials:
Narrative by Olaudah Equiano Journey to Pennsylvania in the Year 1750, Equiano Narrative Student Organizer Narrative Organizer (PDF) |
Venn DiagramUse an online Venn Diagram maker to represent the similarities and differences between indentured servants and slaves. I suggest using Canva, but you can use any that you prefer. Upload to Google Classroom. Venn Diagram (PDF)
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Debate |
Extension Activities
These are videos, websites, and activities that I believe are helpful in understanding and thinking critically about the content, or helpful in preparing for exams. Extension activities are voluntary, but recommended. Episode 1 - The Downward Spiral (Worksheet PDF) This episode spotlights the origins of slavery in America, from 1619 through 1739. Focusing on Dutch New Amsterdam (later New York City), this chapter illustrates how slavery in its early years was a loosely defined labor source similar to indentured servitude. |
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