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• Introduction
• Assignment
• Resources

Indentured Servitude

Paula Petrik, Professor of History and Art History, George Mason University

Assignment

Background

Read the following two documents that provide glimpses into indentured servitude:

• John Frethorne's Letter to his Parents (1623).
• Indentured Servant's Confession (1684).

Questions

Answer the following questions about each particular document and the documents in comparison:

1. From the Confession, describe the nature of the servants’ crimes. Who was involved in the illegal activities? Who was the ringleader? What evidence could you supply to support your choice? Why do you think that indentured servants took part in the crimes?
2. Describe John Frethorne’s personal situation. What has happened to the colony? What are the relationships between colonists? What does Frethorne want from his father?
3. What do these passages contribute to our understanding of the institution of indenture in seventeenth-century Chesapeake?
   Resources

Updated | April 2004

• Introduction
• Assignment
• Resources

History 120 is a project of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, with funding from the College of Arts and Sciences and Technology Across the Curriculum, George Mason University.