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Bound To Serve: Indentured Servitude In Colonial Virginia, 1624-177 6, Penny Howard

The Corinthian

Was indentured servitude the cornerstone of slavery? If such a premise is to be accepted, then the indentured may be termed "white slaves." Yet not all historians are so quick to place the label of slave on servants who worked for a set term. Other historians argue that servitude was a form of apprenticeship and servants were treated no worse than their European counterparts. Indeed, historians rightly contend that precedent in English common law set the precedent for Virginia statutes regarding servitude.