USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Servants typically worked four to seven years in exchange for passage, room, board, lodging and freedom dues. While the life of an indentured servant was harsh and restrictive, it wasn’t slavery. There were laws that protected some of their rights.

Detailed explanation-2: -Indenture contracts were written between British agents and Ridgely indenture purchasers. All indentures were bought for only a limited time. Non-convict servants served terms of 4 to 6 years, while convicts had to serve at least 7 years.

Detailed explanation-3: -Indentures are agreements between two parties about long-term work. The length of servitude might be a specified number of years or until the servant reached a certain age. Some people indentured themselves in order to gain passage to America or to escape debt and poverty.

Detailed explanation-4: -Duties. Some indentured servants served as cooks, gardeners, housekeepers, field workers, or general laborers while others learned specific trades such as blacksmithing, plastering, and bricklaying, which they often parlayed into future careers.

Detailed explanation-5: -Indentured servants were not paid wages but they were generally housed, clothed, and fed. The rights to the individual’s labor could be bought and sold, but the servants themselves were not considered property and were free upon the end of their indenture (usually a period of five to seven years).