Indentured Servants and Slaves in the U.S. Essay - 630 Words

A plantation economy, an economy founded on an agricultural mass production like tobacco, sustained the source of income of the Chesapeake regions, consisting Virginia, Maryland, and northern North Carolina. The early settlers soon realized the urgent need for labor in the New World. Due to the fact that many potential immigrants could not afford an expensive trip across the Atlantic, the Virginia Company developed the system of indentured servitude to attract common laborers. Since tobacco required intensive hand labor all year round, indentured servants have become vital to the colonial economy. Virginia Servant and Slave Laws represent the elaborate efforts of masters to profit from indentured servants and slaves against runaway and†¦show more content†¦3). Also, slave woman is considered more valuable due to the child. The law enacted in Virginia shows masters goal to profit from the children of slaves, In 1662, Virginia lawmakers specified that the children of slave mot hers inherited their mothers slave status (Virginia Servants and Slave Laws, in Handout Set, p. 2). Under theses harsh circumstances, servants and slaves, regardless of gender and ethnicity, tend to work together and that became a great fear of the ruling class. â€Å"Virginia Laws Governing Servant and Slave† reveals the rebellions of servants and slaves who united to fight against their masters. Bacon’s Rebellion, in 1676, occurred in the Virginia Colony in opposition to Virginias Indian policy (Roark, The American Promise, p. 79). Bacon’s Rebellion demonstrated that poor whites and poor blacks could be united in a cause, and it shows that they are capable of challenging the ruling class together. Virginia lawmakers enacted the laws to prevent the servants and slaves from uniting to fight against masters. According to Document 2: Law Making Slave Status Inherited from Mother, 1662 the Virginia legislators punished interracial sexual relations, And that if any Christian shall commit fornication with a negro man or woman, hee or shee soe offending shall pay double the ffines imposed by the former actShow MoreRelatedEssay about Clash of Cultures838 Words   |  4 Pages2013 There were abundant amount of immigrants that were indentured servants, individuals (immigrants) who came to America and was placed under contract to work for another over a period of time, usually seven years, especially during the 17th to 19th centuries. Generally, indentured servants included redemptioners, victims of religious or political persecution, persons kidnapped for the purpose, convicts, and paupers. 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