Migrants, Servants and Slaves

Download or read book Migrants, Servants and Slaves written by Russell R. Menard and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2001 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by one of the leading economic historians of British America, the essays in Migrants, servants, and slaves (several of which have achieved the status of minor classics) address a series of topics of central importance to the field. The central theme is that of the transition from a labor force dominated by English indentured servants, to one composed largely of African slaves. In the enquiry the author examines the changing composition of the servant population in the British North American colonies, the determinants of the pace and volume of servant migration, and the opportunities available to servants who completed their terms. On the subject of slavery, he looks at how the initial investments were financed, and the ability of the slave population to reproduce itself.