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First indentured servant arrives to the American colonies.

1607

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Servants are supplied room and board while working in the "master's" fields. Upon completion of their contract, the servant are to receive their "freedom dues," which is a pre-arranged termination bonus. This might include land, money, a gun, clothes, or food. Only about 40% of servants live to complete their contract. Women are often raped and harassed, and if pregnant, have years added to their contract. At the end of the contract, the land provided is often the least farmable. Indentured servitude will eventually be largely replaced by the institution of slavery.