What happened to the indentured servants who were freed early in the 1600s? How did this change as the century progressed?

Indentured Servants in the USA

Indentured servants arrived in America in 1607 after settlement of Virginia Company in Jamestown. Life for an indentured servant was harsh and restrictive, it was not slavery. Time came when indentured Servants received their freedom package.

What happened to indentured servants after they were freed?

Many historians argue that the life of indentured servants became much better than those of new immigrants. After they were freed their contract may have included 25 acres of land, a year's worth of corns, arms, a cow and new cloths.

Some servants rose to become part of the colonial elite. For majority of the servants the distressing journey by the sea and the harsh conditions of life in the New World satisfaction as a freeman in a burgeoning colonial economy.

Effect of the Freed Indentured Servants on the Century.

The freeing of indentured servants affected the economy negatively. Them being freed brought about limited labor and also the freed servants demanded for land. Due to this landowners turned to African slaves as a more profitable source of labor.