Indentured Servitude Dbq Essay

The ban on slavery worldwide caused an increase in need for new labor, and with it the revival of indentured servitude in the early nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Indentured servitude had brutal living conditions that were easily comparable to slavery, caused a massive shift of indentured servant population to new areas, and the impact on the abolition of slavery, were all a cause and consequence for the revival of indentured servitude. The treatment of indentured servitude was not a huge improvement from slavery. Indentured servants saw themselves as “overworked”, and that the “wages paid to them is not sufficient” Doc #8). Document 5, also illustrates the poor living conditions of the indentured servants, showing them cutting a large amounts of sugar cane, being watched by a white man dressed in a suit, clearly showing his superiority over them. Indentured servitude were seen as “voluntary immigrants” or “slaves, seized by violence”, but seen similarly …show more content…
The end of slavery caused a “demand for labor that will increase” (Doc #2). As slaves slowly decreased, indentured servants increased. Beginning in 1846 to 1851, the amount of former male and female slaves slowly decreased, as the number for male and female indentured servants increased. This shows the connection between the end of slavery and the rise of servitude (Doc #6). An editorial in the Natal Mercury, states that “ not fewer than 60,000 laborers are required”. This was most likely said to try to make it seem like laborers were a necessity, and to justify indentured servitude. In conclusion, Indentured servitude was caused by the abolition of slavery, which increased the need for more laborers. It resulted in a massive migration of people from their place of origin to work as indentured servants. It did not result in a big improvement in condition for laborers, and still held on to some old methods used in