The Sons of Toil: America’s Forgotten White Slaves
by Relegated to the pages of history as indentured servants, America’s white slaves garner at most a footnote, if they are mentioned at all in the history of early America.
The terms “slave” and “slavery” have their origins in the name of the people who were captured by Charlemagne in such numbers that their name for themselves, which meant “to hear about” or “famous”, became what their position in society came to be called. The Slavs, or Slavic peoples lived in Russia, Poland, and other parts of Europe. They were Caucasian.
Indentured Servitude or Slavery
Before America was even an independent nation, slavery or indentured servitude, was common. It started with whites, in Europe, poor people with oppressive bills, or who just wanted a new life but could not afford passage, would sell themselves into “indentured” servitude, or in other words a contract that for a sum of money or passage to the new world they would become their servants for a length of time to those who paid for them.
The standard contract was for a 4-7 year period of servitude, at the end of which they would be freed. It was commonly understood that it included the proviso that the freed servant be gifted a small piece of land so they could fend for them self and not become a burden on society.
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That’s what the history books taught us in school.
What they do not tell us is that that scenario is rarely what happened. Very few of the indentured servants were ever released from their “contracts”. As many as 90% of those indentured were never freed. Many were worked to death. Agreements to keep husbands and wives, or families together were not honored, with family members being sold off, including children born during the indenture.
Have you ever wondered where the term “white trash” comes from? This is a colonial term that referred to those indentured servants lucky enough to be freed and given a piece of land. Unfortunately this land was usually completely barren land incapable of being farmed or used for much of anything. Trash-land. These whites had to scrape by and toil day in and day out to scratch out a living. Those better off often referred to them or complained about them, as white trash.
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Post CommentDarla Cooke
On October 4, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Interesting article.
DynamicLethargy
On October 4, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I had been aware of indentured servents, but had not know how extensive that had been. Your article gives me a new perspective on the development of the anti-slavery movement.
Petalm
On October 5, 2009 at 6:42 am
Never knew the origin of the word,thanks for sharing!
A. Fool
On November 1, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I have been writing a series on slavery in America, and have mentioned this a few times, as well as the enslavement of whites in Africa. The point that I make is very simply that it is not in the interest of whites to hold up their enslavement where for many blacks it is their ‘golden age’.
The suffering of white slaves, many of whom were pure blooded Irish, has never been used as an excuse by them, but surmounted.
It was never in the interest of white Irish leaders to gain a following of ‘inferiors’ as it has been in the interest of black leaders to make their followers into sheep.