Final answer:
Indentured servants in the Chesapeake could have their servitude extended by years if they violated colonial laws. Harsh treatment and the possibility of extended service acted as deterrents and means of enforcing discipline among indentured laborers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question is that indentured servants in the Chesapeake could have their servitude extended by years if they violated colonial laws. In the Chesapeake colonies, indentured servants were bound by contracts that would specify terms of service such as food, housing, and length of servitude, usually between four and seven years. If an indentured servant committed a crime or disobeyed those who held their contracts, their terms of service would be lengthened, often significantly. This punitive action was a means of enforcing discipline and deterring other servants from breaking the laws or contract agreements.
Conditions for indentured servants were often harsh; despite contracts specifying they should be fed and sheltered, many experienced exploitation, overwork, and were sometimes treated like property. This was especially true for female indentured servants who faced additional risks and exploitation in the predominantly male colonies. The servitude system did not provide an adequate labor force for the growing needs of the tobacco economy, and by the late 17th century, the shift towards a system of slavery began. Enslaved Africans and their descendants increasingly became the primary labor source, eventually leading to the institutionalization of slavery in the colonies.