Indentured Servants and Slaves

http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
Key Dates 1700

Lesson 36-37
Helps to explain the development of slavery and the slave system that became the norm in the deep South.
North Carolina 
Most fiercely fought battles of the American Revolution were fought in the backwoods of North Carolina. Loyalty to clan, or king, or territory. Independent family farmers but not plantation commercial oriented.

South Carolina
Intense slave culture that was brought by the immigrants to the city of Charleston. They were transplanting the Barbados system to the North American continent. The culture that developed in Charleston was imitated throughout the South.
Barbados culture became the Deep South Culture.
The king divided the colony officially in 1629.

Indentured servitude-economic phenomenon. It was voluntary in most cases unless a criminal act was involved. Here is the problem.
Individual had to work off their fare to come to America. People willing to sponsor servants worked with middle men who recruited families or males who would come and serve for a period of time. He was not called a slave but it could look like slavery. People felt it was equivalent of slavery. This was a way to bring people to North America.
Pennsylvania set up a system of paid immigration. The servant lacked money to come to America but he did have his labor. Exchange his labor for a start in North America. The servant was supposed to get land and capital of some kind this was negotiable. Often the servant would get something. People could run off because there weren't police etc. If the individual believed they would get land and tools at the end of service they would stay.

The model was the mosaic law. 
If the servant serves thee for 6 years let him go free in the 7th year. Provide for him liberally. You have been blessed and give it to thee servant. The sabbatical year of debt release. Included was the year of release for a debtor. Deuteronomy 15. This helped people get on their feet. This is basically what indentured servitude was in America.

Involuntary service-a criminal could choose servitude instead of prison. This was the choice for prisoners in England. Debtors prison, pauper laws, criminals etc. Some of these criminals were really bad but they still needed to find someone to bring them to America. The family of the debtor had to provide food for the debtor. The family would go deeper in debt. Bad laws with paupers and vagabonds due to the harvest failures. It would cost the English people less if they cleared out the jails. Pay off the victim. The victim was paid off in the old way.

The Constitution abolished Chattel slavery.
Being in the 1860s you could still "enslave" a criminal. No racial element in indentured servitude. They were white people. Not considered inferior. Society recognized that some people get into trouble.

Black slavery was a gigantic kidnapping operation.
Slave importer offered payment for any slave brought to him, the importer paid seaboard tribal chief, the tribal chief ordered kidnapping of a rival tribe. It was business but based on violence. These were kidnapped slaves. He that stealth...Exodus 21:6

Americans knew this was wrong-kidnapping.
Racial system-African and Native American. The Native American was a risk. Slaves could not purchase their liberty. In the middle of the 19th century John McDonald. Work a 1/2 day extra that over 12-15years you can buy your way and your families way. He became incredibly wealthy. Did not have to supervise his slaves. The slaves were in charge of discipline who were harsh. They worked efficiently because they wanted out and these slaves got their freedom. McDonald was unique. It worked. Mostly the slave system was hopeless you couldn't get out. Had to have whips and slave drivers. No Marriage in the system in N. Am. The women were used and encouraged sexual liaisons to get these women pregnant because the children became theirs. It was a business. The children were raised to be sold down the river when economies went down.
If you killed a slave you might have a fine but this violated the Mosaic law. This was against the Bible and these people knew it.

They knew this system was perverse. Exodus 21 said it all right there. The country initially was built on the acceptance of this system. Southern plantation slavery was the most profitable enterprise throughout the 19th century. This country had its birth in legalized kidnapping. This began in the 15th century. Consumers could buy staples at lower prices-sugar, tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton clothing cheap because slavery was the basis of the plantation system and British system. British creditors made servants of slave owners. Irony! The slave owners spent more on luxury items than they could pay for. The British creditors basically owned the plantation owners always indentured servants to the money lenders of Great Britain.

Was the North American system on the up and up? Weren't the