When their period of service ended, indentured servants were forced to pay a fee to gain freedom. were forced into slavery. had land they owned taken away. were given Freedom Dues.
When their period of service ended, indentured servants were forced to -
Pay a fee to gain freedom
Each INDENTURED SERVANT would have their fare across the Atlantic paid in full by their master.
A contract was written that stipulated the length of service — typically five years. The servant would be supplied room and board while working in the master's fields.
Upon completion of the contract, the servant would receive "freedom dues," a pre-arranged termination bonus.
This might include land, money, a gun, clothes or food.
On the surface it seemed like a terrific way for the luckless English poor to make their way to prosperity in a newland. Beneath the surface, this was not often the case.
