By: Emily
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The lives of slaves and indentured servants were similar in some ways but also very different. The life of a slave was very harsh and cruel. They were forced to work against their will. The slaves came from Africa and were sold to different planters. A planter owned a lot of land and had slaves and indentured servants working for them. By the late 1600's a law was passed saying that if your parents were slaves then you were a slave. This increased the number of slaves living in the colonies. Slaves had no chance for freedom and were often treated poorly by their owners. They were not allowed to go to school, they were not well-educated, and could not read. Slaves were the plantation owner's property. An indentured servant was a person who agreed to work for a certain amount of time in exchange for a free passage to North America. Indentured servants wanted to come, but they didn't have enough money to travel to their destination. Often indentured servants were well-educated because they went to school in England. Indentured servants were treated better on plantations because they were only going to work for a period of time and they weren't property. |
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Colonial Life In America/ Factors Leading to Colonization/ Colonial Life: Social Positions/