Final answer:
Indentured servitude developed in early America due to the need for labor, especially in the South for labor-intensive crops. The types of indentured servants included Scotch-Irish and Irish migrants. I.S. eventually declined due to preferences for white indentured servants over black slaves, labor patterns resembling those of England, and the inability to meet the labor demand for tobacco.
Step-by-step explanation:
Indentured servitude, or I.S., developed in early America due to the need for labor in the English colonies. In the North, indentured servants filled the need for labor on family farms, while in the South, the labor-intensive crops required a more permanent labor supply. The types of indentured servants included Scotch-Irish and Irish migrants who sold their labor for four to seven years in exchange for the cost of transportation and maintenance.
I.S. eventually declined for several reasons. First, employers preferred white indentured servants over black slaves, especially in urban centers where white servants filled the lower ranks of the trades. Secondly, the patterns of employment for workers in the middle colonies resembled those of England rather than the plantation colonies. Lastly, indentured service did not produce enough people to join the labor force needed to produce the colony's only successful cash crop, tobacco.