USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Some people indentured themselves in order to gain passage to America or to escape debt and poverty. Others, including convicts, were sold into indenture upon arrival. Indentures are a type of contract that was torn in two, so each party could have a portion.

Detailed explanation-2: -Indentured labour was a system of bonded labour that was instituted following the abolition of slavery. Indentured labour were recruited to work on sugar, cotton and tea plantations, and rail construction projects in British colonies in West Indies, Africa and South East Asia.

Detailed explanation-3: -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).

Detailed explanation-4: -The indentured servants were often treated harshly. Physical punishments such as whippings were common, and in fact, many of the indentured servants died before their term of service was completed. Others ran away. Servants who ran away and were caught had their term of service extended.