What is the difference in slaves and white indentured servants?

Answer:

Slaves are those people who do not choose to work, but are forced to by a master or slave owner, usually indefinitly or for a very lenghtlly period of time. An example would be a Egyptian slave or an African-American slave in the United States prior to the American Civil War (1861-1885). An indentured servant are those people who choose to work, usually to pay off some form of debt. Then once the debt is paid off then they are free to do or work for whom ever they want. Indentured servants were common in the centuries following Columbus' "discovery" of the New World. During that time it was incredibly expenisve to travel to the New World, but one way to pay for the trip was to become an indentured servant. In that instance a company or very wealthy individual, would pay to ship the person and any supplies that his/her would have with them to the New World. Upon arriving at the New World the person would become the shippers indentured servant, having to do work for him/her usually working in the fields or around the shippers house. Then after about 5 years or so, depending on how long the agreed upon terms were, then the indentured servant would be set free and free to start a new life within the New World. Furthermore, the shipper upon releasing the servant would also give him/her some money to help build a new life. So the difference between a slave and a indentured servant is profound.

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