I bet you haven't heard this one... Two of our former presidents were indentured servants or "debt slaves". It has been estimated that indentured servants comprised almost 80% of the total British and continental emigration to America prior to the Revolution. Like slaves, servants could be bought and sold, could not marry without the permission of their owner, were subject to physical punishment, and saw their obligation to labor enforced by the courts. But unlike slaves, servants could look forward to a release from bondage. If they survived their period of labor, servants would receive a payment known as "freedom dues" and become free members of society. Here is an excerpt I found recently...
When they were boys, future Presidents Millard Fillmore (13th President) and Andrew Johnson (17th president) were indentured servants. An indentured servant is a laborer under contract to an employer for a specified period of time, usually three to seven years, in exchange for necessities such as food, drink, clothing, transportation, and lodging. The master basically owned the indentured servant, who had hardly any rights, until the term of contract was met. Andrew Johnson was indentured to a tailor, and he ran away. The tailor placed an advertisement in the Raleigh Gazette (North Carolina), offering a reward of $10 for the capture and return of future President Johnson. Fillmore served his master, a cloth maker, for several years and was able to purchase his freedom for $30. Sometimes I wonder if we would have been better off if they stayed indentured servants. -"Stupid American History" (2009, p.24) by Leland Gregory.It's interesting how our society has gone a looong way since then.... or maybe not. Today, many seem to be slaves to masters that are called by a different name... credit card companies!
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