indentured servant
[ɪnˈdɛntʃərd ˈsɜrvənt]
nounpl: indentured servants
servo contratado; trabalhador por contrato; serviçal contratado
1. A person who is bound by an indenture (a legal contract) to work for another person for a specified period of time, typically in exchange for passage to a new country or for other compensation, with limited personal freedom during the contract period
Many indentured servants came to colonial America hoping to build a better life after completing their service.
Muitos servos contratados vieram para a América colonial esperando construir uma vida melhor após completar seu serviço.
2. Historically, a laborer in a state of quasi-slavery who was bound to work without wages, often in harsh conditions, during the term of their indenture agreement
The indentured servant system was common in the 17th and 18th centuries in British colonies.
O sistema de servo contratado era comum nos séculos XVII e XVIII nas colônias britânicas.
The indentured servant system was fundamental to the colonization of North America, particularly in Virginia and Maryland during the 17th-18th centuries. Thousands of impoverished Europeans, including Irish and Scottish people, entered into indentures to escape poverty or hardship. While technically voluntary contracts, the system was often exploitative, with servants facing harsh working conditions, little legal protection, and limited rights. The institution declined as African slavery became more profitable, marking a significant shift in American labor and racial history. In Brazilian Portuguese, this historical concept is typically discussed using the term 'servo contratado,' though it is less prominent in Brazilian history than in North American colonial history.
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