Slaves or Servants?

Using the 1624/25 Virginia muster database, can we determine if the Africans listed on the census document were either enslaved individuals OR indentured servants?

Lesson:
https://ush.posthaven.com/slaves-or-servants-1

Census records:
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/Muster/search.muster.cgi?start_page=0&search_type=basic&database=muster_1624&last=&first=&muster=&age-op=&age1=&age2=&status=servant&month=&year=&date=

Transcript

1. View Slide

2. View Slide

3. Interpretation #1
   

   View Slide

4. indentured servants
   

   View Slide

5. Interpretation #2
   

   View Slide

6. Interpretation #2
   

   View Slide

7. 1625 Muster
   Original primary source
   vs filtered by “servants”
   

   View Slide

8. Name Muster Status Location Corporation Age Ship Date of
   Arrival
   Muster
   Date
   Notes
   

   View Slide

9. Name Muster Status Location Corporation Age Ship Date of
   Arrival
   Muster
   Date
   Notes
   servant
   servant
   servant
   servant
   

   View Slide

10. Were the Africans on the muster
    slaves or indentured servants?
    

    View Slide

11. “By the time of Portuguese
    colonization of South
    America, the term “negro”
    [negros da terra] had become
    almost synonymous with
    “slave” in the Portuguese
    language” (13)
    -- Nishida, Slavery and Identity
    

    View Slide

12. View Slide