Final answer:
Indentured servitude addressed the labor shortage by providing colonial employers with temporary workers who, in exchange for their labor, received passage to America and basic needs. This system encouraged the growth of the colony and provided indentured servants with an opportunity for a new start after their service. However, the system's limitations eventually prompted a shift toward permanent slavery for labor needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Indentured servitude emerged as a solution to the labor problem in colonial America, particularly in the early Virginian tobacco economy and in other areas in need of labor for agriculture and industry. It refers to the system in which individuals, often impoverished Europeans, would sign a contract agreeing to work for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to America and basic necessities. In Virginia, sponsors received 50 acres of land as a headright for each indentured servant they transported, thus stimulating the growth of the colony with labor. Although indentured servants were not slaves and their indenture was not a lifetime commitment, it gave landowners a guaranteed worker for the duration of the contract. The indentured servants gained a means to migrate, sustenance during their term, and commonly received 'freedom dues' upon completion of their service, which could include land, supplies, and tools to start their new lives as free colonists.
In urban centers, employers preferred white indentured servants over black slaves, particularly for apprenticeships and journeymen positions. After serving their term, many indentured servants were well-equipped with survival and job skills that helped them succeed in the colonies. Yet, the system had limitations, as it did not provide a sufficient number of laborers for the intensive agriculture in the South, leading to a transition toward a permanent form of labor through slavery.