Question

Indentured servants were considered one of the most expensive pieces of colonial farm equipment because ____.

Answer 1

Indentured servants are often confused with slaves, but they are quite different.

Step-by-step explanation:

Indentured servant refers to a "labor contract" where the labor is required to work for a landowner or any other individual. The contract was for five to seven years and this was a give and take policy. In exchange for the labor contract, the servants were given an expensive passage out of Europe. And this made the indentured servitude one of the "most expensive pieces" of "colonial farm equipment". Because of this clause, many Europeans worked under this contract in the "18th century". Besides this, these labors were also given other perks which were not given to slaves. They enjoyed some amount of personal freedom.

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

The first indentured labours arrived in Americas after the settlement of Jamestown by the Virginia Company in 1607. The indentured servitude emerged out of need of cheap labour as earliest settlers had lots of lands to work on. The Virginia company devised a system of indentured servants for attracting workers and these servants became important for colonial economy. Initially one half and two thirds of the immigrants who came to the colonies were indentured servants. The servants worked in exchange of room, board, lodging and freedom dues.

It was better than slavery as they were protected with some rights, the indentured servant who survived the harsh working condition received their freedom package but it was also expensive . But as the demands of labour in colonies grew the cost of indentured servants also grew and with it and landowner were afraid that newly freed servants could demand for land. Hence the elites in American colonies turned towards the slaves for fulfilling their needs.