White European Indentured Servants

Definition

White European indentured servants were individuals who voluntarily agreed to work for a specific period, usually four to seven years, in exchange for passage to the Americas. They were bound by a contract and had limited rights during their servitude.

Related terms

Slavery: The forced labor system where individuals are treated as property and have no personal freedoms.

Middle Passage: The brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean that enslaved Africans endured on slave ships from Africa to the Americas.

Triangular Trade: A trade network between Europe, Africa, and the Americas that involved the exchange of goods, including slaves.