Yes, the slaves had been freed, but southern businesses and politicians wanted to control those freed people and keep them in the labor force at as low a pay scale as possible. How could the government tolerate this quasi-slavery policy? According to Douglas Blackmon, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution did abolish slavery but it allowed "involuntary servitude" as punishment when a black man was accused of a crime (Blackmon, 2013)
" "Involuntary servitude, slavery under a different name, built a large part of Atlanta," said Professor Richard Becherer of the Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, whose research on indentured servants brought in a different aspect of post Civil-War dynamics. During Reconstruction most freed slaves that lived in Southern cities worked as "unskilled laboring jobs or as domestic servants" (Campbell, et al
" The father of these children, Watts Cramer, is not mentioned in terms of how much he will be paid, but since his daughters are basically working for an education and technically learning a trade, that could have been considered payment enough from Mathias. Domestic Servants after the Reconstruction -- Indentured? Rich McKay writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that following the Civil War, an African-American male would be arrested in Atlanta for "…being outside after sunset," or speaking too loudly or "looking at a white woman in 'the wrong way'" (McKay, 2011)
What were the legal principles that government the employment of indentured servants? There were "competing models" on the rule of law as regards capitalist labor contracts. In the south, a culture existed even after Reconstruction that had "diluted the sanctity of contract and the right to security without establishing the right to quit" (Schmidt, 1998)
Company towns were more than just living quarters, however. One historian wrote, "One definition would be that it is a community devoted to a single industry, with all land and buildings owned by the company and all housing rented to employees" (Garner 176)
As one historian notes, "Immigrants signed labor contracts (indentures) committing themselves to serve other persons for a term of years. In exchange, they had their transatlantic transportation expenses paid and were normally entitled to 'freedom dues' on the completion of their service" (Steinfeld 11)
In the mid 1500s, the owners of the large land companies recognized that in order to increase the number of workers they had to offer free transportation. The English government quickly agreed, since they would have fewer unemployed individuals who "threatened to become criminals" (Geiser, 1901, p
Such a servant serves God, in serving his master." The governor was forced to explain himself more concretely when the matter of settling laborers in Pennsylvania later arose, and he promised land to the immigrating servants, 50 acres at the end of his service, plus 50 acres to the master, so-called "head land" (Illick, 1976, p
114). One of the schemes to entice German immigrants was by using spirits or "soul catchers" (Jernegan, 1931, p
Frequently, the German peasants sold everything they owned and trusted themselves this soul-seller. Many were forced to become servants by indenture, because the excessive charges imposed for transportation from the Rhine Valley to the port of departure used up their small capital (Jones, 1724, p
I was married to another slave at 15. We had a marriage ceremony but it was not recognized as legal and our vows accurately were "Till death or distance do us part" rather than "Till death do us part," owing to the propensity of slaveholders to separate black families without regard for our family bonds (Burns, 1990)
I was born into slavery on a plantation and all I have ever known is slavery. My slavery was passed on to me by my mother, who was raped by the old plantation owner here in 1660 (DuBois & Dumenil, 2016, p
We were also able to have one child, despite the rough conditions under which we lived (DuBois & Dumenil, 2016, p. 58) and despite the deep alienation I felt as a black slave woman (Menard, 2001, p
. that in less than seven years, if no slave could be imported into those southern regions, one half of the plantations would lie uncultivated for want of slaves" (Tadman, 2005, p