Laura Schoonover

Hist. 007A- Document Interpretation #2

Dr. Sachtjen
Nov. 12, 2015
Calculus of Slavery
The letter, written by Elizabeth Sprigs, showcases the mistreatment
during the 17th century toward indentured servants such as herself,
who was banished by her father. An indentured servant is someone
who traveled to the New World that signed a contract to sell his or her
labor for a certain number of years in exchange for passage from
Europe. Her letter serves as proof that the mistreatment and
conditions of indentured servants were much different than the
servants we read about in New England at the same time as well as
the increased exploitation African slaves endured.
During this time in the 17th century, New England consisted of puritans
and believed in a hierarchal view of humanity. New Englanders at the
time were mostly yeomen or independent farmers who owned and
worked their own land. As we learn from our textbook, many New
Englanders were servants just as there were servants in Maryland and
Virginia, such as Elizabeth Sprigs. However, the only similarity was the
word they used to describe themselves, servants. New Englanders
were servants starting at a young age. Farmers would have their sons
and daughters live in a nearby home to fulfill their adolescent
servitude. They would view this time more as vocational training
rather than an opportunity to exploit one another. As the 17th century
grew to a close the Puritans in New England created an interesting and
very different history for themselves. As one puritan put it, They were
as Prosperous as ever, there is Peace & Plenty, & the Country
flourisheth (Brands, 61).
During this time in Virginia and Maryland, being a servant had much
less to do with vocation and training but everything to do with serving
a person in order to pay off their passage from Europe. They would
then work a set amount of years in order to pay off their debt they
owed from their passage into the New World from Europe depending on
their age. Many young men and women emigrated and came alone,
unmarried and without family and often sent away. Because of the high
death rate in individuals between the ages of 18 and 22 creating a
family was almost non-existent. Many died from disease and were
unable to complete their work, marry or have children. In contrast to
New England, not many farmers cared how their indentured servants
were treated, the food they ate, the clothing and shoes they wore or
the places they lay their head at night. Elizabeth Sprigs writes of these

hardships, trying to seek pity from her father and to get material goods
that were not accessible to her from the landowner. Many farmers
feared rebellion by their indentured servants as our textbook states,
young peopleregarded their servitude as a form of slavery (Brands,
63).
However, they werent slaves, indentured servants had an expiration
date, a point in time where freedom would hopefully exist and however
strict a punishment was doesnt compare to the brutality enslaved
individuals faced. By the early 18th century more than 11 million
African men and women came to the New World to be bought, sold,
exploited and had no real need or want to come to the New World. An
Africans journey is much different than that of the indentured servants
hoping for a new beginning or glimmer of hope in the New World. At
this same time, indentured servants had dried up due to the increase
of families and the success they found after their servitude was
complete. Owning slaves at this was a key to success both politically
and socially. Many New World settlers saw the benefit and success the
Portuguese and Spanish colonies had with slaves and decided that the
enslavement of mainly African men would economically benefit the
colonies. Toward the end of the 17th century the Royal African Company
was created to meet the colonial planters demands for black
laborers. The number of individuals enslaved increased which meant
in turn, stricter and more severe slave codes. The rich man got richer
and the enslaved man continued to be discriminated against, time and
time again.
Just as we saw with the New England vs. Maryland/Virginia idea of
servants so to do we see a difference in slave treatment and identity
depending on the location of where a person was. Our textbook points
out that slaves in South Carolina had a strong sense of their African
identity due to the large percentage of Africans on the rice farm and
lack of contact with white landowners however, in northern colonies
slaves had more contact with white landowners and were unable to
preserve their African identity.
How would Americans react if we were to enslave individuals in order
to pay off debt or enslave those immigrating to America the same way
we did to Africans?
What enslavement is still happening today? Have we really come that
far from where we were?
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5796