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Chapter five of The Atlantic World begins with the story of the rebellious English woman Barbara Rolfe and her father’s attempts to pawn her off into servitude. By going against established roles for English women, Rolfe had threatened English patriarchal control which motivated her father to force her into indentured servitude. This story interested me as it at first felt out of place compared to the rest of the chapter. Once I read more I understood that the story was on par with the theme of forced labor and colonial development. I thought it was an interesting point that forced labor was necessary for the growth of European colonies. Through Europeans desire to prosper quickly from the New World, mobilizing indigenous workers became a priority.
Diana Tran discussed how one society viewing another race and considering them to be nothing more than possible servants/slaves instead of equals to be shocking. I was equally surprised at that concept and interested in the differences between servitude and slavery. Europeans, natives, and Africans all endured forced labor in the Americas however their individual experiences vastly differed from one another. Native Americans experienced an immediate transition from a maintained hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a forced laborer for European benefit. On page 150, Egerton discusses the Spanish rule over the indigenous population causing devastating effects. Through the Spanish encomienda, natives were forced to give tribute to Spanish colonist in the form of gold dust. Due to European diseases and the harsh working conditions native populations experienced massive amounts of deaths. The Spanish would justify the vast loss of life through their profits and the idea of a “just war.” African slaves would experience similar outcomes with European nations, brought to new heights by forced overseas migration. Similar to the ideas brought up in Smallwood’s and Lipman’s articles, Europeans would create ideas that the indigenous populations were inferior to them thus establishing new social hierarchies to distance themselves from the “deceitful” and “barbaric” natives. This is why it is interesting that in early colonial culture, European indentured servants made up the main labor force for colonial development.
Because of mass European populations and a majority of them being lower class, some desired to begin a new life in the new world. Indentured servants would agree to serve 4 – 8 years in the Americas in return for the voyage. Already a stark difference from native and African workers, European indentured servants may also be given freedom dues such as promised land or agricultural equipment. Sometimes indentured servants would experience harsh treatment from their masters. they would retaliate by running away, refusing to work, or making their case in court; all three of which, if performed by a non-European laborer it would produce grim punishments. These Europeans still experienced strict social hierarchies, though not as extremely harsh compared to the indigenous populations. These hierarchies were created through income, gender, and religion. This led me back to Barbara Rolfe’s story, as even though she obviously experienced more freedom then native slaves, she was restricted by English gender roles. By being pawned off to work in the new world, Rolfe could have considered her own situation of forced labor to be slavery. And yet, since she was an established member of European society she could run away and not have to face harsh repercussions because of her actions.