Indentured Servant
During the settlement of North America, many people became indentured servants to pay for their journey across the Atlantic. They agreed to work for a certain number of years in exchange for passage, food, and shelter. This system was crucial because it helped populate the colonies and provided labor for growing economies. However, it could be harsh, as servants sometimes faced tough conditions and limited freedoms. Today, the concept connects to modern work contracts or student loans, where people commit time or money for future benefits; for example, someone might work for a company in exchange for tuition assistance, reflecting a similar trade-off for opportunity.
Practice Version
Indentured Servant: A worker in a contract with an employer for a certain length of time. Indentured servant. In history, an indentured servant was someone who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for passage to a new country, housing, and sometimes land.